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liiisois  Historical  Surcay 


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t 


EVIDENCES 


IN  PROOF  OF  T  II  E 


j 


BEING  A  DIVINELY  INSPIRED  RECORD, 


^WRITTEN  15Y  THE  FOREFATHERS  OF  THE  A  A' 


TIVEB  WHOM  WE  CALL  INDIANS, 


(  Who  arc.  a  remnant  of  the  Trihe,  of  •Joseph,) 

AND  HID  UP  IN  THE  EARTH, 

"RUT  COME  FORTH  IN  FULFILMENT  OF  PROPHESY 
Tor  the  gathering  of  Israel  and  the  re-estab¬ 
lishing  of  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  UPON  THE  EARTH. 
TOGETHER  with  all  the  objections  commonly  urged 

AGAINST  IT,  ANSWERED  AND  REFUTED — TO 
WHICH  18  ADDED  A  PROCLAMATION  AND  WARNING 
TO  THE  GENTILES  WHO  INHABIT  AMERICA. 


BY  CHARLES  THOMPSON, 

Minister  of  the  Gospel. 


“  No  in,  therefore,  he  ye  not  mocker*,  Jed  ynvr  hands  he 
made  strong:  for  1  have  heard  from,  the  Lord  God  of  hosts  a 
consumption  even  determined  upon  the  inhole  earth." 

Isaiah,  2‘8. — 22. 


BATAVIA,  N.  Y. 

PUBLISHED  BY  I).  I).  WAITE. 


1841 


Northern  District  of  New- Yoke:-,  ss. 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  the  lOth  day 
of  May,  Anno  Domini,  1841,  Charles  Thompson,  of 
the  said  District,  hath  deposited  in  this  Office  the  title 
of  a  Book,  the  title  of  which  is  in  the  words  following, 
to  wit: — 

Evidences  in  proof  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  beii 
a  Divinely  inspired  record,  written  by  the  Forefather 
of  the  Natives  whom  we  call  Indians,  (who  are  a  rem¬ 
nant  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph)  and  hid  up  in  the  earth* 
but  come  forth  in  fulfilment  of  prophesy  for  the  gath¬ 
ering  of  Israel  and  the  re-establishing  c f  the  Kingdom 
of  God  upon  the  earth.  Together  with  all  the  objec¬ 
tions  commonly  urged  against  it,  answered  and  refu¬ 
ted.  To  which  is  added  a  Proclamation  and  warningi 
to  the  Gentiles  who  inhabit  America.  By  Charles 
Thompson,  Minister  of  the  Gospel. 

“Now,  therefore, be  ye  not  mockers, lest  your  bands 
be  made  strong:  for  I  have  heard  from  the  Lord  God; 
of  hosts  a  consumption  even  determined  upon  the 
whole  earth.”  Isa.  28 — 22. 


w. 


The  right  whereof  he  claims  ns  Author  and 
prietor,  in  conformity  with  an  Act  of  Congress, 
tied  an  act  to  amend  the  several  acts  respecting 
rights.  (A  true  copv  of  record.) 

ANSON'  LITTLE,  Clerk  of  the  Distiitrt, 


P 

en 

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i  • 


Z°\% 

T31  x 


PREFACE. 


The  writer  of  the  following  pages  having 


been  engaged  for  the  last  five  years  in 
preaching  the  fulness  of  the  Everlasting 


Gospel,  as  revealed  from  Heaven  by  the 
ministering  of  Angels  to  Joseph  Smith  and 
others,  which  brought  to  light  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  and  set  it  as  a  sign  among  the 
people  and  lifted  it  up  as  an  ensign  on  the 
mountains  for  the  nations, — has  long  seen 
the  necessity  of  the  publication  of  a  work 
setting  forth  the  evidences  in  proof  of  its 
truth.  First,  for  the  benefit  of  the  young 
Elders  and  Priests  who  are  just  commencing 
•  in  their  ministry.  Second,  for  the  benefit 
and  encouragement  of  those  who  have  just 
embraced  the  faith;  and  Thirdly,  to  correct 
the  public  mind  in  reference  to  its  real  in¬ 
tent  and  character.  And  realizing  the  vast 
importance  attached  to  its  contents,  and  the 
absolute  necessity  that  this  generation  should 


know  for  what  intent  it  has  come  forth,  that 
they  may  be  left  without  excuse;  and  having 
looked  and  looked  in  vain  for  such  a  work 

*  m 

to  be  published  by  some  one  more  capable 


4  PREFACE. 

\ 

lhaiir  himself;  and  realizing  the  pressing 
necessity  of  having  such  a  work  immediately 
published,  not  only  for  the  benefit  of  young 
Elders  and  Priests  who  are  just  commencing 
in  the  ministry,  but  also  that  every  one  who 
desires  it  might  have  the  opportunity  of  fully 
investigating  and  critically  examining  the 
evidences  we  produce  in  proof  of  its  divine 
authenticity,  he  has  finally  been  induced  to 
undertake  the  task  (though  with  some  con¬ 
siderable  reluctance)  to  set  forth  in  as  clear 
a  light  as  his  small  abilities  and  scanty  in¬ 
formation  would  admit  of,  some  of  the  evi¬ 
dences  which  prove  the  Book  of  Mormon  to 
be  a  divinely  inspired  record.  He  has  no 
claim  to  literary  merit,  neither  has  it  been 
his  object  to  embellish  these  pages  with  ora¬ 
torical  language  to  ‘tickle  the  ear  and  please 
the  fancy/  but  to  present  the  scriptures, 
facts,  and  sound  reasoning,  to  convince  the 
judgment  and  enlighten  the  mind;  he  has 
endeavored  to  address  himself  to  the  intellect, 
not  to  the  passions  of  the  people,  that  if  any 
should  be  converted  they  might  be  able  to 
give  a  reason  for  the  hope  that  is  in  them 
with  meekness  and  fear.  How  far  the  wri¬ 
ter  has  accomplished  his  object,  is  left  for 
every  careful  reader  of  the  following  pages 
to  judge;  and  should  any  one  by  a  careful 
perusal  of  the  same  find  that  the  writer  has 


PREFACE. 


made  any  mistakes  or  misapplied  any  passa¬ 
ges  of  scripture,  let  them  not  cast  away  the 
many  for  the  inadvertent  misapplication  of 
a  few;  for  the  writer  professes  no  infallibility, 
but  acknowledges  himself  liable  to  mistakes 
and  errors  as  all  men  are  who  live  in  the 
flesh.  If  however  any  mistakes  or  errors 
should  be  discovered,  they  will  be  corrected 
in  the  second  edition.  The  second  part  of 
this  work  contains  answers  to,  and  a  refuta¬ 
tion  of,  all  the  objections  commonly  urged 
against  its  divine  authenticity,  and  the  ap¬ 
pendix  contains  a  proclamation  and  warning 
to  the  Gentiles  who  inhabit  America.  This 
appendix  is  founded  upon  prophesies  con¬ 
tained  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  quoted 
therefrom. 


fi  n  f  v  .trt  r  »u<)r  »/t  1 

’ 

* 

' 

t  >  j*j^«  * 

. 

....  ■  . 


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EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF 

OF  THE  BOOK  OF  MORMON,  &c.  &c. 


In  treating  on  this  subject,  I  shall  observe 
the  following  order,  viz: 

I  shall  first  prove  by  the  Prophets,  that 
God  will  literally  gather  Israel,  the  literal 
seed  of  Jacob,  from  all  nations,  unto  their 
own  land,  which  God  gave  unto  their  fathers 
by  promise. 

Second:  When  he  shall  set  his  hand 'fry 
bring  to  pass  this  gathering,  he  will  first  lift 
up  an  ensign  on  the  mountains  for  the  na¬ 
tions — set  up  his  standard  to  the  people,  and 
set  a  sign  among  them.  And  then  immedi¬ 
ately  he  will  commission  officers  and  send 
them  to  the  nations,  bearing  this  ensign,  to 
declare  His  glory  among  the  Gentiles,  and 
to  fish  out  and  hunt  up  Israel,  and  bring 
them  to  their  own  land  for  an  offering  unto 
the  Lord. 

Third:  This  ensign,  standard,  and  sign, 
consists  of  a  book — a  record  of  the  tribe  of 
Joseph,  taken  by  the  Lord  and  put  with  the 
bible  (that  is  published  to  the  nations  as  the 
bible  now  is.) 


8 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


Fourth:  This  record  of  Joseph  is  to  come 
out  of  the  earth  in  America  because  Eph¬ 
raim's  seed  dwell  there. 

Fifth:  America  is  a  promised  land  to  Jo¬ 
seph,  and  God  brought  a  remnant  of  his  seed 
here  to  possess  it. 

Sixth:  God  will  make  use  of  men  as  in¬ 
struments  in  bringing  this  book  forth. 

Seventh :  This  generation  is  the  time  when 
this  gathering  is  to  take  place;  consequently 
the  time  when  this  book  is  to  come  forth. 

Eighth:  The  Book  of  Mormon  is  this 
book,  and  the  elders  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  are  the  officers 
commissioned  to  bear  this  ensign  to  the  na¬ 
tions,  and  to  declare  God’s  glory  among  the’ 
gentiles  and  gather  Israel. 

First,  then,  the  gathering  of  Israel  the  lit¬ 
eral  seed  of  Jacob.  But  in  order  that  my 
reader  may  understand  what  is  meant  by  this 
gathering,  they  must  know  that  Israel  has 
been  scattered.  This  I  suppose  is  known 
by  most  of  my  readers.  But  for  the  benefit 
of  those  who  do  not  know,  I  make  the  fol¬ 
lowing  quotations  and  remarks,  about  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  years  before  Christ: — 
“Shalmaneser,  King  of  Assyria,  came  up 
throughout  all  the  land,  and  went  up  to  Sa¬ 
maria,  and  besieged  it  three  years.  And  at 
the  end  of  the  three  years,  he  and  his  army 


9 


BOOK  OP  MORMON. 

took  it,  and  carried  off  the  ten  tribes  (one 
kingdom  of  the  children  of  Israel)  into  As¬ 
syria,  and  put  them  in  Halah  and  in  Habor 
by  the  river  of  Gozan,  and  in  the  cities  of 
the  Medes:  because  they  obeyed  not  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  their  God,  but  transgressed 
his  covenant,  and  all  that  Moses  the  servant 
of  the  Lord  commanded,  and  would  not  hear 
them,  nor -do  them.77  See  2d  Kings,  17th 
chapt.  5th  and  6th  verses.  Also,  18th  chapt. 
10th,  11th  and  12th  verses.  From  this  cap¬ 
tivity  they  never  yet  have  returned  to  their 
own  lands,  neither  is  there  any  account  of 
them  to  be  found  in  any  history  now  extant 
later  than  this  captivity.  These  ten  tribes 
revolted  from  the  house  of  David  in  the  days 
of  Rehoboam  the  son  of  Solomon,  and  Jere- 
boam  the  son  of  Nebat  was  annointed  to  be 
their  king.  Two  tribes  then  clave  to  the 
house  of  David,  viz:  Judah  and  Benjamin, 
over  which  Behoboam  the  son  of  Solomon 
reigned.  See  1st  Kings,  12th  chapt.  from  the 
16th  to  the  21st  verses. 

Since  this  division  of  the  children  of  Israel 
into  two  nations  and  two  kingdoms,  the  ten 
tribes  under  Jereboam  are  denominated  the 
house  of  Israel:  and  the  two  tribes  under 
Rehoboam  are  denominated  the  house  of 
Judah.  About  one  hundred  and  twenty  years 
after  the  captivity  of  the  house  of  Israel  by 


1:0  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  TJIE 

the  king  of  Assyria,  six  hundred  years  B.  C., 
“Nebpchadpezer  the  king  of  Babylon  came 
against  Jerusalem  with  all  his  host  and  be¬ 
sieged  the  city,  and  took  it,  and  burned  the 
bouse  of  the  Lord,  and  the  king' s  house,  and 
•all  the  houses  of  Jerusalem,  and  every  great 
man’s  house  -burnt  he  with  lire.  And  he 
carried  the  people  of  the  house  of  Judah  away 
captive  into  Babylon.”  See  2d  Kings,  25th 
chapt.  from  1st  to  11th  verses.  But  after 
seventy  years  captivity,  the  house  of  Judah, 
(consisting  of  the  tribes  of  Judah  and  Benja¬ 
min,  and  some  few  families  of  the  other 
tribes  who  left  the  Assyrian  captivity  and 
joined  themselves  to  the  house  of  Judah)  re¬ 
turned  to  Jerusalem  and  rebuilt  the  city  and 
temple.  See  Ezra,  1st  chapt.,  alsoNehemi- 
ah,  7th  chapt.  And  continued  there  to  dwell 
until  the  year  seventy  of  the  Christian  era. 
At  which  time  Titus  the  Roman  general  with 
his  army  besieged  the  city,  took  and  destroy¬ 
ed  it.  He  also  burnt  the  temple  and  threw 
down  the  walls  thereof,  and  led  the  remain¬ 
der  of  the  house  of  Judah  away  captive  into 
all  nations.  And  they  have  been  a  hiss  and 
a  bye-word  among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
ever  since.  And  Jerusalem  has  been  trod¬ 
den  down  of  the  gentiles,  from  that  time  un¬ 
til  within  ten  years,  (See  Luke,  21st  chapt. 
24th  verse.) 


rook  of  mormon. 


11 


From  the  foregoing  quotations*  we  learn 
that  the  house  of  Israel  (the  ten  tribes)  have 
been  lost,  and  shut  out  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  nations  ever  since  their  captivity  by 
Shalmaneser,  the  king  of  Assyria,  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  years  B.  C.  We  how¬ 
ever  have  the  following  account  of  them  by 
prophesy  commencing  at  this  captivity,  re¬ 
corded  in  the  Apocrapha,  2d  Esdress,  13th 
chapt.,  41st  verse.  “They  took  this  coun¬ 
cil  among  themselves  (says  Esdress)  that 
they  would  leave  the  multitude  of  the  hea¬ 
then  and  go  forth  into  a  further  country 
where  never  mankind  dwelt;  that  there  they 
might  keep  their  statutes  which  they  never 
kept  in  their  own  land.  For  through  that 
country  was  a  great  way  to  go,  namely,  of 
a  year  and  a  half  's  journey — and  the  Most 
High  shewed  signs  for  them,  and  held  still 
the  flood  of  the  streams  until  they  had  passed 
over.  *7  Also,  that  they  should  return  to  their 

'  V 

own  lands  in  the  last  days;  and  the  Most 
High  should  again  shew  signs  for  them  when 
they  return.  The  house  of  Israel  (or  the  ten 
tribes)  being  outcasts  or  cast  out  from  the 
knowledge  of  the  people,  in  a  land  by  them¬ 
selves,  very  far  off  from  the  land  of  their 
fathers;  and  the  house  of  Judah  being  dis¬ 
persed  among  all  nations. 

1  shall  now  proceed  to  prove  by  the  testi- 


12 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


mony  of  the  Prophets,  that  they  are  to  be 
literally  gathered,  both  Israel  and  Judah,  and 
assembled  upon  the  land  which  God  gave 
unto  their  fathers  by  promise;  and  all  other 
nations  will  be  subject  unto  them.  And 
they  will  be  one  nation  in  the  land — never 
to  be  divided  into  two  kingdoms  or  nations 
thereafter,  for  ever.  I  shall  begin  with 
Jeremiah,  30th  chapt.,  from  the  18th  to  the 
24th  verses.  “Thus  saitli  the  Lord;  behold! 
I  will  bring  again  the  captivity  of  Jacob?s 
tents,  and  have  mercy  on  his  dwelling  pla¬ 
ces;  and  the  city  shall  be  budded  upon  her 
own  heap,  and  the  palace  shall  remain  after 
the  manner  thereof.  And  out  of  them  shall 
proceed  thanksgiving  and  the  voice  of  them 
that  make  merry;  and  I  will  multiply  them 
— and  they  shall  not  be  few;  I  will  also  glo¬ 
rify  them — and  they  shall  not  be  small. — - 
Their  children  also  shall  be  as  aforetime, 
and  their  congregation  shall  be  established 
before  me,  and  I  will  punish  all  that  oppress 
them.  And  their  nobles  shall  be  of  them¬ 
selves,  and  their  governor  shall  proceed  from 
the  midst  of  them;  and  1  will  cause  them  to 
draw  near,  and  he  shall  approach  unto  me: 
for  who  is  this  that  engaged  his  heart  to  ap¬ 
proach  unto  meLsaith  the  Lord.  And  ye 
shall  be  my  people,  and  I  will  bo  your  God. 
Behold!  the  whirlwind  of  the  Lord  goeth 


ROOK  OF  MORMON. 


13 


forth  with  fury,  a  continuing  whirl  wind — it 
shall  fall  witli  pain  upon  the  head  of  the 
wicked.  The  fierce  anger  of  the  Lord  shall 
not  return,  until  he  have  done  it,  and  until 
he  have  performed  the  intents  of  his  heart: 
in  the  latter  days  ye  shall  consider  it.?? 

And  again,  Jeremiah,  31st  chapt.,  from 
the  7th  to  the  14th  verses.  “For  thus  saith 
the  Lord;  sing  with  gladness  for  Jacob,  and 
shout  among  the  chief  of  the  nations:  publish 
ye,  praise  ye,  and  say,  O  Lord!  save  thy 
people,  the  remant  of  Israel.  Behold!  I  will 
bring  them  from  the  north  country,  and 
gather  them  from  the  coasts  of  the  earth, and 
with  them  the  blind  and  the  lame,  the  wo¬ 
man  with  child  and  her  that  travaileth  with 
child  together:  a  great  company  shall  return 
thither.  They  shall  come  with  weeping, 
and  with  supplications  will  I  lead  them:  1 
will  cause  them  to  walk  by  the  fivers  of  wa- 
ters,  in  a  straight  way,  Wherein  they  shall 
not  stumble:  for  I  am  a  father  to  Israel,  and 
Ephraim  is  my  firstborn.  Hear  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  O  ye  nations!  and  declare  it  in 
the  isles  afar  off,  and  say,  He  that  scattered 
Israel  will  gather  him,  and  keep  him,  as  a 
shepherd  doth  his  flock.  For  the  Lord  hath 
redeemed  Jacob,  and  ransomed  him  from  the 
hand  of  him  that  was  stronger  than  he. — 
Therefore  they  shall  come  and  sing  in  the 


14 


EVIDENCES  IN  TROOP  OF  THE 


height  of  Zion,  and  shall  flow  together  to  the 
goodness  of  the  Lord,  for  wheat,  and  for 
wine,  and  for  oil,  and  for  the  young  of  the 
flock  and  of  the  herd,  and  their  soul  shall  be 
as  a  watered  garden;  and  they  shall  not  sor¬ 
row  any  more  at  all.  Then  shall  the  virgin 
rejoice  in  the  dance,  both  young  men  and  old 
together:  for  I  will  turn  their  mourning  into 
joy,  and  will  comfort  them,  and  make  them 
rejoice  from  their  sorrow.  And  I  will  satiate 
the  soul  of  the  priests  with  fatness,  and  my 
people  shall  be  satisfied  with  my  goodness, 
saith  the  Lord/* 

And  again,  Ezekiel  20th  Chapt.  from  the 
33d  to  the  42d  verses:  “As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord  God,  surely  with  a  mighty  hand,  and 
with  a  stretched  out  arm,  and  with,  fury  pour¬ 
ed  out,  will  I  rule  over  you;  and  I  will  bring 
you  out  from  the  people,  and  will  gather  you 
out  of  the  countries  wherein  ye  are  scattered, 
with  a  mighty  hand,  and  with  a  stretched  out 
arm,  and  with  fury  poured  out;  and  I  will 
bring  you  into  the  wilderness  of  the  people, 
and  there  will  1  plead  with  you  face  to  face.- 
Like  as  I  pleaded  with  your  fathers  in  the 
wilderness  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  so  will  I 
plead  with  you,  saith  the  Lord  God.  And  I 
will  cause  you  to  pass  under  the  rod,  and  I 
will  bring  you  into  the  bond  of  the  covenant: 
and  I  will  purge  out  from  among  you  the 


BOOK  OP  MORMON* 


15 


rebels,  and  them  that  transgress  against  me: 
1  will  bring  them  forth  out  of  the  country 
where  they  sojourn,  and  they  shall  not  enter 
into  the  land  of  Israel;  and  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord.  As  for  you,  O  house  of 
Israel,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Go  ye,  serve 
ye  every  one  his  idols,  and  hereafter  also,  if 
ye  will  not  hearken  unto  me:  but  pollute  ye 
my  holy  name  no  more  with  your  gifts,  and 
with  your  idols.  For  in  mine  holy  moun¬ 
tain,  in  the  mountain  of  the  height  of  Israel, 
saith  the  Lord  God,  there  shall  all  the  house 
of  Israel,  all  of  them  in  the  land,  serve  me: 
there  will  I  accept  them,  and  there  will  I 
require  your  offerings,  and  the  first  fruits  of 
your  oblations,  with  all  your  holy  things.  I 
will  accept  you  with  your  sweet  savour,  when 
I  bring  you  out  from  the  people,  and  gather 
you  out  of  the  countries  wherein  ye  have 
been  scattered;  and  I  will  be  sanctified  in 
you  before  the  heathen.  And  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  shall  bring  you 
into  the  land  of  Israel,  into  the  country  for 
the  which  I  lifted  up  mine  hand  to  give  it  to 
your  fathers.” 

And  again,  Amos  QthChapt.  9th,  10th  and 
11th  verses:  “For  lo,  I  will  command,  and 
1  will  sift  the  house  of  Israel  among  all  na¬ 
tions,  like  as  corn  is  sifted  in  a  sieve,  yet 
«hall  not  the  least  grain  fall  upon  the  cart  In 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


16 

! 

All  the  sinners  of  my  people  shall  die  by  the 
sword,  which  say,  the  evil  shall  not  overtake 
nor  prevent  us.  In  that  day  will  I  raise  up 
the  tabernacle  of  David  that  is  fallen,  and 
close  up  the  breaches  thereof:  and  I  will 

JL  ' 

raise  up  his  ruins,  and  I  will  build  it  as  in  the 
days  of  old.” 

Again,  Ezekiel  28th  Chapter,  25th  and 
26th  verses:  6 ‘Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  when 
I  shall  have  gathered  the  house  of  Israel  from 
among  whom  they  are  scattered,  and  shall 
be  sanctified  in  them  in  the  sight  of  the  hea¬ 
then,  then  shall  they  dwell  in  their  land  that 
I  have  given  to  my  servant  Jacob.  A  nd  they 
shall  dwell  safely  therein,  and  shall  build 
houses,  and  plant  vineyards;  yea  they  shall 
dwell  with  confidence,  when  I  have  executed 
judgments  upon  all  those  that  despise  them 
round  about  them;  and  they  shall  know  that 
I  am  the  Lord  their  God.” 

Again,  Jeremiah  33d  Chapt.  6th  and  7th 
verses:  “Behold,  I  will  bring  it  ('the  City  of 
Jerusalem )  health  and  cure,  and  will  cure 
them,  and  will  reveal  unto  them  the  abun¬ 
dance  of  peace  and  truth.  And  I  will  cause 
the  captivity  of  Judah,  and  the  captivity  of 
Israel  to  return,  and  will  build  them  as  at  the 
first.  And  1  will  cleanse  them  from  all  their 
iniquity,  whereby  they  have  sinned  against 
me;  and  I  will  pardon  all  their  iniquities, 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


i  i 

whereby  they  sinned,  and  whereby  they  have 
transgressed  against  me.” 

And  again,  Isaiah  1st  Chapt.  from  the  24th 
to  the  26th  verses:  “Therefore  saith  the 
Lord,  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  mighty  one  of 
Israel,  Ah,  1  will  ease  me  of  mine  adversa¬ 
ries,  and  avenge  me  of  mine  enemies:  and 
I  will  turn  my  hand  upon  thee,  and  purely 
purge  away  thy  dross,  and  take  away  thy 
tin;  and  I  will  restore  thy  judges  as  at  the 
first,  and  thy  counsellors  as  at  the  beginning: 
afterward  thou  shalt  be  called,  the  city  of 
righteousness,  the  faithful  city.”  And  at  the 
60th  Chapt.  12th  verse:  “For  the  nation  and 
kingdom  that  will  not  serve  thee  shall  perish, 
yea,  those  nations  shall  be  utterly  wasted.” 

Also,  Amos  9th  Chapt.  14th  and  15th  ver¬ 
ses:  “And  I  will  bring  again  the  captivity 
of  my  people  of  Israel,  and  they  shall  build 
the  waste  cities  and  inhabit  them;  and  they 
shall  plant  vineyards,  and  drink  the  wine 
thereof;  they  shall  also  make  gardens,  and 
eat  the  fruit  of  them.  And  I  will  plant  them 
upon  their  land,  and  they  shall  no  more  be 
pulled  up  out  of  their  land  which  I  have  giv¬ 
en  them,  saith  the  Lord  thy  God.” 

From  the  above  quotations,  and  many  oth¬ 
ers  which  might  be  added  to  them,  we  have 
the  most  positive,  certain  and  definite  proof, 
that  Israel,  the  literal  seed  of  Jacob,  not  only 


18  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

have  been  literally  pulled  up  out  of  their 
land  which  God  gave  their  fathers,  and  scat¬ 
tered  among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  but 
also  that  they  will  all  again  be  as  literally 
gathered  together  and  made  one  nation  and 
one  kingdom  upon  the  land  that  God  gave 
unto  their  fathers,  even  upon  their  own  land, 
on  which  their  fathers  dwelt.  Also,  that 
when  this  gathering  shall  take  place,  all 
their  enemies  shall  be  literally  cut  off  and 
destroyed.  And  they  shall  be  cleansed  from 
all  their  sins  and  God  shall  make  a  new  cov¬ 
enant  of  peace  with  them,  which  shall  be  an 
everlasting  covenant.  And  they  shall  nev¬ 
er  be  removed  out  of  their  land,  any  more 
forever.  And  all  nations  shall  be  subject  to 
them  ever  afterwards. 

Secondly,  when  God  shall  set  his  hand  to 
bring  to  pass  this  gathering,  he  will  first  set 
up  an  ensign  for  the  nations,  set  up  his  stan¬ 
dard  to  the  people,  and  set  a  sign  among 
them,  and  then  commission  officers  and  send 
them  to  the  nations  bearing  this  ensign,  to 
declare  God’s  glory  among  the  Gentiles  and 
gather  Israel.  Isaiah  11th  Chapt.  11th  and 
12th  verses:  4 ‘And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in 
that  day,  that  the  Lord  shall  set  his  hand 
again  the  second  time  to  recover  the  remnant 
of  his  people,  which  shall  be  left,  from  As¬ 
syria,  and  from  Egypt,  and  from  Pathros, 


BOOK  OP  MORMON. 


19 


and  from  Cush,  and  from  Elam,  and  from 
Shinar,  and  from  Hamath,  and  from  the  Isl¬ 
ands  of  the  sea.  And  he  shall  set  up  an  en¬ 
sign  for  the  nations  and  shall  assemble  the 
outcasts  of  Israel,  and  gather  together  the 
dispersed  of  Judah  from  the  four  corners  of 
the  earth. 

Again,  Isaiah  49th  Chapt.  22d  verse: — 
“Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  I  will 
lift  up  mine  hand  to  the  Gentiles,  and  set  up 
my  standard  to  the  people:  and  they  shall 
bring  thy  sons  in  their  arms,  and  thy  daugh¬ 
ters  shall  be  carried  upon  their  shoulders*” 

And  again,  Isaiah  66th  Chapt.  from  the 
18th  to  the  22d  verses:  “It  shall  come,  that 
I  will  gather  all  nations  and  tongues;  and 
they  shall  come,  and  see  my  glory.  For  I 
will  set  a  sign  among  them,  and  I  will  send 
those  that  escape  of  them  unto  the  nations,” 
(that  is  those  that  escape  the  corruptions  that 
are  in  the  world  through  lusts,  2d  Peter  1st 
Chapt.  4th  verse,)  “to  Tarshish,  Pul,  and 
Lud,  that  draw  the  bow,  to  Tubal  and  Javan, 
to  the  isles  afar  off,  that  have  not  heard  of  mv 
fame,  neither  have  seen  my  glory;  and  they 
shall  declare  my  glory  among  the  gentiles. 
And  they  shall  bring  all  your  brethren  for 
an  offering  unto  the  Lord,  out  of  all  nations, 
upon  horses,  and  in  chariots,  and  in  litters, ” 
(or  coaches,)  “and  upon  mules,  and  upon 


20 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


swift  beasts,  to  my  holy  mountain  Jerusalem, 
saith  the  Lord,  as  the  children  of  Israel  bring 
an  offering  in  a  clean  vessel  into  the  house 
of  the  Lord.  And  I  will  also  take  of  them 
for  priests,  and  for  Levites,  saith  the  Lord. 
For  as  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth, 
which  I  will  make,  shall  remain  before  me, 
saith  the  Lord,  so  shall  your  seed  and  your 
name  remain.” 

In  the  above  quotations,  the  prophet  is 
evidently  speaking  of  the  same  event  refer¬ 
red  to  in  the  quotations  previously  made, 
viz.  the  gathering  of  the  whole  house  of  Is- 
ael.  And  we  learn  by  these  quotations  that 
when  the  Lord  shall  set  his  hand  to  bring  to 
pass  this  gathering,  he  will  first  set  up  an 
ensign  for  the  nations,  and  a  standard  for 
the  people,  and  set  a  sign  among  them;  and 
that  then  immediately  after,  he  will  com¬ 
mence  the  work  of  the  gathering,  by  sending 
certain  characters  (chosen  from  among  the 
nations,  who  shall  have  escaped  the  corrup¬ 
tions  that  are  in  the  world  through  lust,)  un¬ 
to  the  nations — to  all  the  nations,  Gentiles 
and  Jews.  '  And  these  messengers  shall  go  to 
the  Gentiles  first,  and  declare  God?s  glory 
among  them;  and  then  they  shall  bring  all 
the  children  of  Israel  for  an  offering  unto 
the  Lord  out  of  all  nations. 

The  Prophet  Jeremiah,  16th  Chapt.  14th, 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


21 


15th  and  16th  verses,  referring  to  the  same 
event,  says:  “Therefore,  behold,  the  days 
come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  it  shall  no  more 
be  said,  the  Lord  liveth  that  brought  up  the 
children  of  Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt; 
But,  the  Lord  liveth  that  brought  up  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  Israel  from  the  land  of  the  north, 
and  from  all  the  lands  whither  he  had  driven 
them;  and  1  will  bring  them  again  into  their 
land  that  I  gave  unto  their  fathers.  Behold, 

I  will  send  for  many  fishers,  saith  the  Lord, 
and  they  shall  fish  them;  and  after  I  will 
send  for  many  hunters,  and  they  shall  hunt 
them  from  every  mountain,  and  from  every 
hill,  and  out  of  the  holes  of  the  rocks.” 

Again,  Isaiah  18th  Chapt.  3d  verse,  re¬ 
ferring  to  the  same  event,  says:  “All  ye  in¬ 
habitants  of  the  world,  and  dwellers  on  the 
earth,  see  ye  when  he  lifteth  up  an  ensign 
on  the  mountains;  and  when  he  bloeth  a 
trumpet,  hear  ye.”  Now  an  ensign  is  a  flag, 
the  colors  of  an  army,  by  which  they  are  de¬ 
signated,  of  what  nation  or  Kingdom  they 
are  of,  and  a  standard  is  the  same.  Upon 
the  flag,  ensign  or  standard,  are  always  writ¬ 
ten  certain  characters  or  letters,  by  which 
the  army  is  designated.  And  there  are  of 
necessity,  officers  commissioned  in  every  ar¬ 
my,  whose  business  it  is  to  bear  the  flag,  the 
ensign,  the  standard.  These  officers  are 


22 


EVIDENCES  IF  PROOF  OF  THE 


called  standard  bearers,  sometimes  cornets, 
and  sometimes  ensigns,  -  because  they  bear 
the  ensign.  Now  when  Isaiah  says  that  God 
will  set  up  an  ensign  for  the  nations  filth 
Chapt.)  he  evidently  means  to  be  understood 
that  he  will  set  up  something  that  is  not  al¬ 
ready  set  up  at  the  time  when  he  sets  his 
hand  the  second  time  to  gather  the  remnant 
of  his  people  Israel,  and  that  on  this  some¬ 
thing,  shall  be  written,  or  impressed,  words 
or  characters,  which,  when  seen,  read  and 
understood  by  the  nations,  should  make  them 
to  know  that  the  officers  who  bear  this  en¬ 
sign  and  who  maintain  this  standard,  are  the 
officers  of  the  Kingdom  of  God;  and  that 
the  people  who  marshall  under  this  ensign 
and  rally  around  this  standard,  are  the  citi¬ 
zens  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  And  this  same 
something  is  a  sign  or  token  unto  the  nations, 
that  those  messengers  who  have  it  are  commis¬ 
sioned  or  sent  by  the  God  of  Jacob,  to  declare 
his  glory  among  the  Gentiles,  and  to  fish  and 
hunt  Israel  from  the  mountains,  and  from  the 
hills,  and  out  of  the  holes  of  the  rocks.  And 
also,  to  bring  them  unto  their  own  lands,  for 
an  offering  unto  the  Lord,  out  of  all  nations. 
And  by  these  officers,  fishers,  hunters,  &c. 
he  will  assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  ( the 
ten  tribes, )  and  gather  together  the  dispersed 
of  Judah,  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth. 


BOOK  OP  MORMON. 


23 


Now  what  this  ensign  consists  of,  is  plainly 
showed  by  Ezekiel, in  the  following  prophesy, 
in  which  he  speaks  of  two  writings,  one  for  Jo¬ 
seph  and  the  other  for  Judah,  which  are  to  be 
made  one,  in  the  Lord's  hand,  after  which, 
the  same  event  is  to  follow  that  Isaiah  said 
should  follow  the  setting  up  of  the  ensign, 
viz.  the  gathering  and  union  of  the  whole 
house  of  Israel,  both  the  outcasts  (the  ten 
tribes, )  and  the  dispersed  ( or  house  of  Judah. ) 
This  prophesy  is  recorded  by  Ezekiel  the 
prophet,  in  the  37th  Chapter  of  his  Book, 
commencing  at  the  15th  verse.  He  says: — 
“The  word  of  the  Lord  came  again  unto  me, 
saying,  moreover  thou  son  of  man!  take  thee 
one  stick,  and  write  upon  it,  For  Judah,  and 
for  the  children  of  Israel  his  companions; 
then  take  another  stick,  and  write  upon  it. 
For  Joseph,  (the  stick  of  Ephraim,)  and  for 
all  the  house  of  Israel  his  companions:  and 
join  them  one  to  another  into  one  stick;  and 
they  shall  become  one  in  thine  hand.  And 
when  the  children  of  thy  people  shall  speak 
unto  thee,  saying,  wilt  thou  not  show  unto 
us  what  thou  meanest  by  these?  Say  unto 
them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold!  I 
will  take  the  stick  of  Joseph,  ('which  is  in 
the  hand  of  Ephraim, )  and  the  tribes  of 
Israel  his  fellows,  and  will  put  them  with 
him,  even  with  the  stick  of  Judah,  and  make 


24 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


them  one  stick,  and  they  shall  be  one  in  mine 
hand.  And  the  sticks  whereon  thou  writest 
shall  he  in  thine  hand  before  their  eyes.  And 
say  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God; 
Behold!  I  will  take  the  children  of  Israel 
from  among  the  heathen,  whither  they  be 
gone,  and  will  gather  them  on  every  side, 
and  bring  them  into  their  own  land:  and  I 
will  make  them  one  nation  in  the  land  upon 
the  mountains  of  Israel;  and  one  king  shall 
be  king  to  them  all;  and  they  shall  be  no 
more  two  nations,  neither  shall  they  be  di¬ 
vided  into  two  kingdoms  any  more  at  all; 
neither  shall  thev  defile  themselves  any  more 
with  their  idols,  nor  with  their  detestable 
things,  nor  with  any  of  their  transgressions: 
but  I  will  save  them  out  of  all  their  dwelling 
places  wherein  they  have  sinned,  and  I  will 
cleanse  them:  so  shall  they  be  my  people, 
and  I  will  be  their  God.” 

Now,  it  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  Israel  have  not  been  one  nation,  or 
kingdom,  in  the  land  upon  the  mountains  of 
Israel  or  any  where  else,  since  they  were  di¬ 
vided  into  two  nations  or  kingdoms,  in  the 
days  of  Rehoboam,  the  son  of  Solomon. — 
Yet  the  prophet  here  declares  that  they  shall 
become  one  nation,  and  one  kingdom  in  the 
land,  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel;  and  shall 
not  be  divided  into  two  nations  or  kingdoms 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


25 


thereafter.  And  this  is  to  be  accomplished 
by  the  Lord  taking  them  from  among  the 
heathen,  whither  they  be  gone,  and  gathering 
them  on  every  side,  and  bringing  them  into 
their  own  land.  And  this  gathering  shall 
take  place  immediately  after  the  Lord  shall 
take  the  stick  of  Joseph,  which  is  in  the  hand 
of  Ephraim,  and  put  it  with  the  stick  of  Ju¬ 
dah,  and  make  them  one  stick  in  his  hand. — • 
It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  these  two  sticks 
becoming  one  in  the  Lord’s  hands,  is  the  en¬ 
sign  that  Isaiah  says  he  will  set  up  for  the 
nations;  after  which,  he  will  assemble  the 
Outcasts  of  Israel,  and  gather  together  the 
dispersed  of  Judah,  from  the  four  corners  of 
the  earth.  It  is  evident  from  this  fact,  that 
the  same  event  follows  the  one  that  follows 
the  other,  viz.  the  gathering  and  union  of 
both  nations  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

Now  mark!  my  reader,  upon  one  of  these 
sticks  is  written  by  God’s  commandment, 
something  for  Joseph,  or  to  Ephraim,  (for  it 
is  called  the  stick  of  Ephraim,  as  well  as  of 
Joseph,  and  is  to  be  taken  from  the  hand  (or 
possession )  of  Ephraim,)  and  upon  the  other 
stick  is  written  by  his  commandrpent  some¬ 
thing  for  Judah,  (or  to  Judah.)  And  what 
is  this  something,  yon  inquire.  I  answer  it 
must  be  the  great  things  of  God’s  law,  writ¬ 
ten  for  the  government  of  these  two  branches 


i 


26 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  consequently 
containing  prophesy  of  the  future  events 
that  were  to  happen  to  them.  I  say  it  must 
be,  because  all  the  writings  I  ever  saw  which 
purported  to  have  been  written  by  God’s 
commandment,  to  or  for  any  nation,  kindred, 
tongue  or  people,  were  of  this  character. —  - 
Therefore  the  stick  of  Joseph,  or  of  Ephraim, 
contains  the  great  things  of  God’s  law,  written 
to  Joseph,  or  Ephraim,  for  their  benefit  and 
government;  and  also  for  the  benefit  and  gov¬ 
ernment  of  all  those  that  are  connected  with: 
them  as  companions.  And  the  stick  of  Ju¬ 
dah  contains  the  great  things  of  God’s  law, 
written  to  Judah,  (or  the  tribe  of  Judah,)  for 
their  benefit  and  government,  and  for  the 
benefit  and  government  of  those  who  are- 
connected  with  them  as  companions. 

But  you  next  inquire  why  these  records  are 
called  sticks?  I  answer,  in  the  days  of  the 
prophet  Ezekiel,  the  art  of  making  paper 
was  not  known.  Consequently,  when  they 
wrote,  they  were  obliged  to  write  upon  some¬ 
thing  that  they  knew  how  to  prepare  for  that 
purpose.  They  sometimes  wrote  upon  skins, 
tanned  for  that  purpose,  which  they  called 
parchment;  and  sometimes  upon  bark  which 
they  called  pappirus;  and  sometimes  upon 
sticks  or  blocks  of  wood,  hewed  and  prepared 
for  that  purpose.  This  last  was  the  easiest 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


27 


prepared.  Therefore,  as  the  prophet  Eze¬ 
kiel  was  commanded  to  fit  out  a  couple  of 
writings,  which  were  to  be  used  by  him,  in 
the  presence  of  the  Israelites,  merely  as  an 
ensample  of  what  was  to  be  done  by  the  Lord 
in  some  future  generation,  he  commanded 
him  to  make  these  writings  on  sticks,  because 
they  were  the  easiest  prepared  for  that  pur¬ 
pose,  of  any  material  then  in  use.  Conse¬ 
quently  the  records  are  called  sticks,  instead 
of  books. 

But  we  next  enquire  where  are  these  rec¬ 
ords?  W e  have  already  learned  by  the  proph¬ 
et,  that  the  stick  of  Joseph  is  in  the  hand  of 
Ephraim,  and  is  to  be  taken  from  there  and 
put  with  the  stick  of  Judah,  after  which  they 
are  to  become  one  in  the  Lord's  hand.  Where 
the  stick  of  Judah  is,  we  are  not  informed; 
but  we  conclude  by  the  expression  made  in 
reference  to  it,  that  it  is  not  to  be  removed 
from  where  it  is,  but  the  stick  of  Joseph  is  to 
be  taken  and  put  with  it.  Hence  we  learn 
that  the  stick  of  Judah  is  already  in  the  pos¬ 
session  of  the  nations  of  the  earth;  but  the 
stick  of  Joseph  being  secluded  from  the  na¬ 
tions  of  the  earth,  and  hid  up  somewhere  in 
the  possession  of  Ephraim,  must  be  taken 
from  where  it  is,  and  put  in  the  possession  of 
the  nations  of  the  earth,  with  the  stick  of 
Judah.  And  these  are  to  become  one  in  the 


28 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


hand  of  the  Lord,  when  he  commissions  of¬ 
ficers  to  bear  them  forth  as  an  ensign  for  the 
nations,  and  to  declare  his  glory  among  the 
gentiles,  and  fish  and  hunt  Israel,  from  the 
mountains,  and  from  the  hills,  and  out  of  the 
holes  of  the  rocks;  and  to  bring  all  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  Israel  for  an  offering  unto  the  Lord, 
out  of  ail  nations,  to  God’s  holy  mountain. 

The  bibie  then  is  the  stick  of  Judah,  for  it 
contains  a  history  of  the  house  of  Judah;  and 
not  of  any  other  nation  or  tribe,  only  as  far 
as  their  history  is  connected  with  the  tribe  of 
Judah.  It  contains  the  great  things  of  God’s 
law  written  to  the  house  of  Judah  by  Prophets 
and  Apostles,  exclusively  raised  up  within 
the  nation  of  Judah.  It  also  contains  prophe¬ 
sies  of  the  future,  and  is  already  in  the  pos¬ 
session  of  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Now 
having  found  out  where  and  what  the  stick  of 
Judah  is,  we  next  proceed  to  search  out  the 
stick  of  Joseph;  keeping  in  mind  that  when 
we  find  it,  it  will  contain  the  great  thing  of 
God’s  law  written  to  Ephraim,  and  giving  a 
History  of  a  branch  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph, 
and  will  be  written  by  a  succession  of  Proph¬ 
ets  and  Apostles,  raised  up  from  Joseph’s 
loins;  and  at  the  time  when  God  is  to  take  it 
and  put  it  with  the  bibie,  it  will  be  found  de¬ 
posited  (or  hid  up)  somewhere  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  land  where  Ephraim  dwells, 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


29 


(for  it  is  to  be  taken  from  the  hand  of  Eph¬ 
raim,  and  as  Ephraim  in  this  quotation,  re¬ 
fers  to  the  nations,  or  tribes  descended  from 
Ephraim;  so  the  hand  here  spoken  of,  sig¬ 
nifies  possession,  or  the  land  where  Ephraim 
dwells.)  Then  in  order  to  find  out  where 
this  record  is  deposited,  we  must  first  find  out 
where  Ephraim  dwells.  First,  then,  we  will 
examine  some  of  the  prophesies  concerning 
Ephraim,  and  see  if  by  these  we  can  get  any 
information  concerning  his  place  of  resi¬ 
dence.  We  will  begin  with  Genesis,  48th 
,chapt.  Jacob,  while  blessing  Ephraim,  and 
Manasseh,  the  two  sons  of  Joseph,  said, — 
“Let  them  grow  into  a  multitude  in  the  midst 
of  the  earth.”  And  in  the  19th  verse  he 
says  of  Ephraim,  “His  seed  shall  become  a 
multitude  of  nations.”  The  sense  of  these 
put  together  would  make-  Ephraim's  seed  a 
multitude  of  nations  in  the  midst  of  the  earth. 
So  much  we  have  learned  then  in  reference 
to  this  matter;  that  Ephraim’s  seed  dwells 
somewhere  in  the  midst  of  the  earth,  and  is 
become  a  multitude  of  nations.  Hence  we 
shall  not  be  at  a  loss  to  know  them  when  we 
find  them,  but  where  shall  we  commence  our 
search?  and  to  what  point  of  compass  shall 
we  go  in  order  to  find  them?  We  will  ex¬ 
amine  another  prophesy  concerning  them, 
and  see  if  we  cannot  find  out  these  particulars 


30 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


also.  Hosea,  11th  chapt.,  10th  verse.  The 
Prophet  here,  in  speaking  of  the  children  of 
Ephraim,  says,  4 ‘They  shall  walk  after  the 
Lord;  he  (the  Lord)  shall  roar  like  a  lion: 
when  he  shall  roar,  then  the  children  shall 
tremble  from  the  west.”  From  this  then  we 
learn  that  the  children  of  Ephraim  are  some¬ 
where  in  the  west,  from  Jerusalem,  or  Pal¬ 
estine,  for  that  was  the  place  of  the  Proph¬ 
et’s  residence  when  he  wrote  the  above  dec¬ 
laration.  Let  us  therefore  consider  ourselves 
standing  in  Jerusalem,  where  the  Prophet 
then  stood,  and  take  a  geographical  search 
for  Ephraim,  westward  from  that  place.  In 
going  due  west  from  Jerusalem,  we  cross  the 
northern  extremity  of  the  continent  of  Afri¬ 
ca,  and  so  pass  through  Tunis,  Algiers,  Bar¬ 
bary,  and  Morocco.  But  in  none  of  these 
places  can  wc  find  any  of  the  descendants  of 
Ephraim;  therefore,  we  must  continue  our 
search  west.  But  now  of  necessity  we  must 
cross  the  Atlantic  ocean — we  will  then  take 
ship  at  Morocco,  and  sailing  directly  west, 
we  land  in  North  America,  not  far  from  the 
city  of  Charleston  in  the  state  of  South  Car¬ 
olina.  Here  we  find  an  almost  boundless 
country,  extending  from  the  north  frigid  to 
south  temperate  zones;  comprising  almost 
every  variety  of  climate,  and  inhabited  by  a 
race  of  men,  evidently  of  the  same  origin,  al- 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


31 


though  as  evidently  divided  into  a  multitude 
of  nations.  Here  then  we  have  found  a  peo¬ 
ple  that  bear  the  description  the  Proph¬ 
ets  have  given  of  Ephraim;  a  multitude  of 
nations  in  the  midst  of  the  earth,  on  the  west 
of  Jerusalem.  But  have  this  people  no  re¬ 
cord  by  which  we  can  learn  of  their  origin? 
If  not,  where  is  the  stick  of  Joseph  which  is 
to  be  taken  from  their  possession?  If  they 
are  indeed  the  seed  of  Ephraim,  God  has 
written  to  them  the  great  thing  of  his  law — 
for  the  Prophet  Hosea  says  so,  in  the  8th 
ehapt.  and  12th  verse  of  his  book,  he  says — 
“I  have  written  to  him  (^EphraimJ  the  great 
things  of  my  law  and  they  were  counted  as 
a  strange  thing/5  Therefore  we  will  exam¬ 
ine  some  of  their  traditions,  in  reference  to 
this  matter.  First,  says  Mr.  Boudinot,  “It 
is  said  among  their  principal  or  beloved  men, 
that  they  have  it  handed  down  from  ances¬ 
tors  that  such  a  book  as  the  white  people 
have,  was  once  theirs;  that  while  they  had  it 
they  prospered  exceedingly,  &c.  They  al¬ 
so  say,  that  their  fathers  were  possessed  of 
an  extraordinary  Divine  Spirit,  by  which 
they  foretold  future  events,  and  controlled 
the  common  course  of  nations;  and  this  they 
transmitted  to  their  offspring,  on  condition 
of  their  obeying  the  sacred  laws;  that  they 
did  by  these  means  bring  down  showers  of 


i 


32 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  TTTE 


blessings  upon  their  beloved  people;  but  that 
this  power  for  a  long  time  past  had  entirely 
ceased.”  Col.  James  Smith,  in  his  journal, 
while  a  prisoner  among  the  Natives,  says — 
“They  have  a  tradition,  that  in  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  this  continent,  the  Angels,  or  Heav¬ 
enly  Inhabitants,  as  they  call  them,  frequent¬ 
ly  visited  the  people,  and  talked  with  their 
fore  fathers,  and  gave  directions  how  to  pray.” 

Mr.  Boudinot,  in  his  able  woitk,  remarks 
concerning  their  language :  “Their  language 
in  its  roots,  idiom,  and  particular  construc¬ 
tion,  appears  to  have  the  whole  genius  of 
the  Hebrew,  and  what  is  very  remarkable, 
and  well  worthy  of  serious  attention,  has 
most  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  language — 
especially  those  in  which  it  differs  from 
most  other  languages.  There  is  a  tradition 
related  by  an  aged  Indian,  of  the  Stock- 
bridge  tribe,  that  their  fathers  were  once  in 
possession  of  a  “Sacred  Book”  which  was 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation, 
and  at  last  hid  in  the  earth,  since  which  time 
they  had  been  under  the  feet  of  their  ene¬ 
mies.  But  those  oracles  were  to  be  restored 
to  them  again,  and  then  they  would  triumph 
over  their  enemies  and  regain  their  ancient 
country,  together  with  their  rights  and  privi¬ 
leges.  Mr.  Boudinot,  after  recording  many 
traditions  similar  to  the  above,  at  length  re- 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


33 


marks:  “Can  any  man  read  this  short  ac¬ 
count  of  Indian  Traditions,  drawn  from  tho 
tribes  of  various  nations,  from  the  west  to 
the  east,  and  from  the  south  to  the  north, 
wholly  separated  from  each  other,  written  by 
different  authors  of  the  best  characters  both 
for  knowledge  and  integrity,  possessing  the 
best  means  of  information,  at  various  and 
distant  times,  without  any  possible  communi¬ 
cation  with  each  other;  and  yet  suppose  that 
all  this  is  the  effect  of  chance,  accident  or  de¬ 
sign. 

From  these  traditions  we  learn  that  these 
people  once  had  a  “Sacred  Book”  contain¬ 
ing  Sacred  Laws,  (or  the  great  things  of  God’s 
Law,)  written  for  them;  and  the  presumption 
is,  that  they  were  written  by  their  forefathers 
who  possessed  the  extraordinary  divine  spirit 
by  which  they  foretold  future  events,  and  con¬ 
trolled  the  common  cpurse  of  nature.  This 
Book,  we  are  informed,  after  having  been 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation 
was  hid  in  the  earth;  not  always  to  remain 
there,  but  to  come  forth  at  some  future  time 
for  their  blessing  and  gathering  to  their  an¬ 
cient  country.  This  agrees  exactly  with 
what  is  said  concerning  the  stick  of  Joseph; 
“that  God  will  take  it  from  some  secluded 
place  in  the  land  of  Ephraim  and  put  it  with: 
the  stick  of  Judah  after  which  he  would  take 

2 


*34  EVIDENCES  IN  ?ROOF  OF  THE 

the  children  of  Israel  from  among  the  heath¬ 
en,  and  bring  them  into  their  own  land.” 
And  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  says  in  the  31st 
chapt.  9  verse  of  his  Book,  that  Ephraim  is 
God’s  first  born  in  this  gathering.  Here, 
then,  after  so  long  a  search,  w7e  have  found  a 
people  resembling  Ephraim;  a  multitude  of 
nations  in  the  midst  of  the  earth,  on  the  west 
of  Jerusalem  or  Palestine,  with  the  testimony 
of  their  tradition  that  the  stick  of  Joseph  (or 
their  “Sacred  Book”)  is  hid  up  in  the  earth 
somewhere  in  this  land,  but  to  come  forth 
again  out  of  the  earth  at  some  future  period 
of  time;  that  then  they  will  be  restored  to 
their  ancient  country,  together  with  the  rights, 
privileges  and  blessings  which  their  fathers 
enjoyed. 

We  will  now  examine  some  more  of  the 
prophecies  which  speak  of  the  restoration  of 
the  children  of  Israel  to  their  own  land  and 
former  blessings,  and  see  if  wre  can  find  any¬ 
thing  that  will  warrant  us  in  the  belief  that 
the  stick  of  Joseph  is  coming  out  of  the  earth. 
We  will  commence  with  the  85th  psalm, 
which  is  very  plain  on  this  subject;  it  says, 
“Mercy  and  truth  are  met  together;  righ¬ 
teousness  and  peace  have  kissed  each  other.” 
But  what  is  to  bring  this  event  to  pass?  An¬ 
swer:  “truth  shall  spring  out  of  the  earth  and 
righteousness  shall  look  down  from  heaven- 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


35 


Yea,  the  Lord  shall  give  that  which  is  good, 
and  our  land  shall  yield  her  increase.  Righ- 
teousness  shall  go  before  him,  (the  Lord,) 
and  shall  set  us  in  the  way  of  his  steps.” 

Now,  nothing  can  be  more  plain  than  this 
psalm.  The  Psalmist  had  beheld  by  the  spir¬ 
it  of  prophesy,  God's  wrath  and  fierce  an¬ 
ger  turned  away  from  the  house  of  Israel,  and 
the  captivity  of  Jacob  brought  back  to  their 
own  land,  their  sins  all  covered  and  his  glory 
revealed  upon  them;  and  while  he  beheld 
this  he  exclaimed  in  an  ecstasy,  “mercy  and 
truth  are  met  together;  righteousness  and 
peace  have  kissed  each  other.”  He  then  goes 
on  to  tell  how  this  great  event  is  to  be  brought 
about.  First  he  says,  “Truth  shall  spring 
out  of  the  earth.”  But  what  is  truth?  In 
the  119th  psalm  142nd  verse  the  Psalmist  says 
(to  God)  “thy  law  is  truth.”  And  in  the 
same  psalm  at  the  151st  verse,  he  says,  “thou 
art  near,  O  Lord;  and  all  thy  commandments 
are  truth.”  It  is  recorded  by  St.  John  17th 
chapt.  and  17th  verse  that  the  Savior  while 
praying  for  his  disciples  said,  “sanctify  them 
through  thy  truth:  thy  word  is  truth.”  Tho 
law,  the  word,  and  commandments  of  God, 
are  truth.”  And  the  Psalmist  says,  “truth 
shall  spring  out  of  the  earth,”  after  which, 
righteousness  (that  is,  knowledge  and  power 
to  do  right,)  shall  look  down  from  heaven 


$6  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

and  shall  go  before  the  Lord  to  set  Israel  in 
the  way  of  his  steps.  And  at  the  same  time 
the  Lord  shall  give  that  which  is  good,  and 
their  land  shall  yield  her  increase.  This  is 
proof  positive,  that  the  stick  of  Joseph  re- 
fered  to  above,  is  to  be  taken  out  of  the  earth. 
But  again,  Isaiah  45  chap  8  verse  says,  4 ‘Drop 
down,  ye  heavens,  from  above,  and  let  tho 
skies  pour  down  righteousness,  (that  is, knowl¬ 
edge  and  power  to  do  right;)  let  the  earth  open 
and  let  them  bring  forth  salvation,  ("or  a 
knowledge  of  the  way  of  salvation, )  and  let 
righteousness  ("or  a  knowledge  of  the  right 
wayj  spring  up  together,  for  I,  the  Lord  have, 
created  ( or  appointed  it.”J  And  again,  Isaiah 
29th  chapt.  1st  verse  says,  “Woe  to  Ariel, 
to  Ariel,  the  city  where  David  dwelt,”  or 
( marginal  reading, )  O  Ariel,  Ariel,  of  the 
city  where  David  dwelt.  4th  verse,  “And 
thou  ( Ariel,  which  signifies  light  or  lion  of 
GodJ  shalt  be  brought  down,  and  shall  speak 
out  of  the  ground,  and  thy  speech  shall  be 
low  out  of  the  dust,  and  thy  voice  shall  be  as 
of  one  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit,  out  of  the 
ground,  and  thy  speech  shall  whisper  out  of 
the  dust.” 

The  above  quotation  is  very  plain.  Now 
reader,  mark,  Ariel  of  the  city  where  David 
dwelt,  ( evidently  having  allusion  to  a  people 
possessing  the  Jight  of  God’s  revelations,  who 


BOOK  OP  MORMON. 


37 


once  belonged  to  the  city  of  Jerusalem  where 
David  dwelt, )  is  to  he  brought  down,  and 
speak  out  of  the  ground,  which  could  not  be, 
unless  their  words  should  be  written  and  de¬ 
posited  in  the  ground,  and  afterwards  brought 
forth  out  of  the  ground,  and  made  intelligi¬ 
ble  for  people  to  read  and  understand.  Then 
they  would  speak  out  of  the  ground,  and  their 
voice  would  whisper  out  of  the  dust.  Thus 
we  have  abundance  of  evidence  to  warrant 
us  in  believing  that  the  stick  of  Joseph  is  to 
come  out  of  the  earth  in  the  land  where 
Ephraim  dwells.  Also,  that  the  Indians  of 
America  are  the  seed  of  Ephraim,  and  that 
God  will  take  the  stick  of  Joseph,  or  in  other 
words,  the  records  of  a  branch  of  the  tribe  of 
Joseph,  containing  the  great  things  of  God’s 
law  written  to  Ephraim,  which  is  hid  up  in  the 
earth,  in  the  land  of  America,  where  Ephraim 
dwells,  and  put  it  with  the  stick  of  Judah  (the 
bible)  and  make  them  one  stick  in  his  hand; 
after  which  he  will  commission  officers  to 
bear  these  forth  to  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
as  an  ensign;  also  to  declare  God’s  glory 
among  the  gentiles,  and  to  fish  the  children 
of  Israel  and  hunt  them  from  the  mountains 
and  from  the  hills,  and  out  of  the  holes  of  the 
rocks,  and  bring  them  for  an  offering  unto  the 
Lord  out  of  all  nations,  upon  horses  and  in 
chariots,  and  in  litters,  and  upon  mules,  and 


88  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

upon  swift  beasts  to  God's  holy  mountain. 
But  the  next  inquiry  that  arises  is,  if  the  In¬ 
dians  of  America  are  decended  from  Ephraim, 
how  came  they  here,  and  what  business  have 
they  here?  W e  will  therefore,  next  attempt 
to  prove  that  the  land  of  America  was  prom¬ 
ised  unto  Joseph,  as  the  land  of  Canaan  was 
unto  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob;  and  conse¬ 
quently  a  branch  of  Joseph’s  posterity  was 
brought  here  by  the  Lord  to  possess  it.  We 
will  commence  with  the  49th  chapt.  of  Gen. 
26th  verse,  Jacob  while  blessing  Joseph,  says, 
“The  blessings  of  thy  father  have  prevailed 
above  the  blessings  of  my  progenetors.”  But 
who  were  Jacob’s  progenitors?  and  what  are 
the  blessings  God  bestowed  upon  them?  An¬ 
swer:  Abraham  and  Isaac  were  Jacob’s  pro¬ 
genitors,  and  the  land  of  Canaan  was  the 
blessing  God  conferred  upon  them.  See 
Gen.  17th  chapt.  8th  verse,  God  said  to  Abra¬ 
ham  “I  will  give  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed 
after  thee,  the  land  wherein  thou  art  a  stran¬ 
ger,  all  the  land  of  Canaan,  for  an  everlas¬ 
ting  possession,  and  I  will  be  their  God.” 
See  also  26th  chapt.  3d  and  4th  verses,  where 
heconfirms  the  same  unto  Isaac,  saying  “Un¬ 
to  thee  and  unto  thy  seed  I  will  give  all  these 
countries;  and  I  will  perform  the  oath  which 
I  swareunto  Abraham  thy  father,  &c.”  Now 
says  Jacob,  my  blessings  have  prevailed  above 


ROOK  or  MORMON. 


39 


these  blessings  of  my  progenitors.  From 
this  we  learn  that  God  bestowed  upon  Jacob 
the  blessings  of  another  land  besides  the  land 
of  Canaan.  Now,  the  land  of  Canaan  was 
bestowed  upon  Jacob  as  well  as  upon  his 
progenitors:  see  Gen.  35th  chapt.  11th  and 
12th  verses,  and  “God  said  unto  him,  (Jacob,) 
I  am  God  Almighty:  be  fruitful  and  multi¬ 
ply;  a  nation  and  a  company  of  nations  shall 
be  of  thee,  and  Kings  shall  come  out  of  thy 
loins,  and  the  land  which  I  gave  Abraham 
and  Isaac,  to  thee  I  will  give  it,  and  to  thy 
seed  after  thee  will  1  give  the  land.”  But 
how  far  off  is  this  land  which  was  conferred 
upon  Jacob  as  a  blessing  above  the  blessing 
of  his  progenitors?  He  continues  in  the 
same  verse  saying,  “unto  the  utmost  bounds 
of  the  everlasting  hills.”  Now,  reader,  stand 
in  Egypt  where  Jacob  then  stood,  and  meas¬ 
ure  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  everlasting 
hills,  and  vou  will  land  in  North  America. 

Here  then,  in  America,  is  the  land  confer¬ 
red  upon  Jacob,  as  a  blessing  above  the  bles¬ 
sing  of  his  progenitors.  But  Jacob  confers 
the  blessings  of  this  land  upon  Joseph  say¬ 
ing,  “they  shall  be  on  the  head  of  Joseph, 
and  on  the  crown  of  the  head  of  him  that 
was  separate  from  his  brethren.”  Also  Moses 
while  blessing  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  evidently 
alludes  to  the  same  blessings.  See  Dent.  33d 


40 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


chapt.  13th,  14th,  15th  &  16th  verses,  “And 
of  Joseph  he  said,  Blessed  of  the  Lord  be  his 
land,  for  the  precious  things  of  heaven,  for 
the  dew  and  for  the  deep  that  coucheth  be¬ 
neath,  and  for  the  precious  fruits  brought 
forth  by  the  sun,  and  for  the  precious  things 
put  forth  by  the  moon,  and  for  the  chief 
things  of  the  ancient  mountains,  and  for  the 
precious  things  of  the  lasting  hills,  and  for 
the  precious  things  of  the  earth  and  fullness 
thereof,  and  for  the  good  will  of  him  that 
dwelt  in  the  bush;  let  the  blessing  come  upon 
the  head  of  Joseph  and  upon  the  top  of  the 
head  of  him  that  was  separated  from  his  breth¬ 
ren.”  And  here,  let  me  remark,  if  Moses  had 
been  in  America  from  the  time  it  was  discov¬ 
ered  by  Columbus  until  now,  enjoying  all  the 
blessings  of  heaven  which  have  been  confer- 
ed  upon  the  inhabitants  of  this  land,  such  as 
liberty  of  conscience,  right  and  control  of 
property,  the  privileges  of  education  and 
knowledge  of  the  fine  arts,  together  with  the 
revelations  of  God  and  the  fullness  of  the 
gospel  proclaimed  among  them,  had  he  con¬ 
sidered  the  climate  and  witnessed  the  dews 
that  it  distilled  upon  the  land,  and  at  the  same 
time  considered  the  depth  of  the  soil,  its  rich¬ 
ness  and  strength,  and  examined  the  many 
precious  fruits  brought  forth  by  the  sun,  to¬ 
gether  with  the  variety  of  vegetation  produc- 


BOOK  OP  MORMON. 


41 


ed  by  th,e  Moon's  diurnal  motion  round  the 
earth;  had  he  visited  the  ancient  mountains, 
and  viewed  the  numerous  fortifications  and 
remains  of  ancient  cities  together  with  all 
the  ancient  ruins  called  Antiquities,  which 
are  found  so  profusely  scattered  over  the  face 
of  this  land;  and  had  he  excavated  the  las¬ 
ting  hills  and  contemplated  the  numerous 
mines  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  iron,  lead  and 
precious  minerals  which  are  to  be  found  in 
such  abundance  in  this  land;  and  had  he  seen 
all  the  productions  of  the  earth  which  are 
produced  in  this  land,  with  all  their  endless 
variety,  together  with  their  abundance  or 
fullness,  he  could  not  have  given  a  more  ac¬ 
curate  description  of  all  these  things,  in  few 
words,  than  he  has  in  describing  the  bless¬ 
ings  of  Joseph’s  land. 

He  then  closes  his  blessing  upon  Joseph, 
by  saying,  “For  the  good  will  of  him  that 
dwelt  in  the  bush,  (evidently  having  allusion 
to  the  burning  bush  which  he,  Moses,  saw, 
out  of  which  God  spake  to  him,  and  commis¬ 
sioned  him  to  go  and  deliver  Israel.) 

Let  the  blessing  come  upon  the  head  of 
Joseph,  and  upon  the  top  of  the  head  of  him 
that  was  separated  from  his  brethren.'5  This 
last  declaration  of  Moses  is  evident  proof  that 
the  land  here  described  by  him,  is  the  same 
land  spoken  of  by  Jacob,  which  he  said  was 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

conferred  upon  him  as  a  blessing  above  the 
blessings  of  his  progenitors,  which  was  to  the 
utmost  bounds  of  the  everlasting  hills.  And 
he  conferred  it  upon  Joseph  in  nearly  the 
same  words  that  Moses  uses  above,  in  con¬ 
ferring  the  blessings  of  the  land  he  discribes. 
The  only  difference  is,  Jacob  says,  the  bless¬ 
ing  shall  be  on  the  head  of  Joseph;  while 
Moses  sa3rs,  for  God's  good  will,  let  it  come; 
or,  that  it  is  God's  good  will  to  let  the  bless¬ 
ings  come  upon  the  Head  of  Joseph,  &c.  The 
land  of  America,  then,  was  promised  unto 
Joseph,  as  the  land  of  Canaan  was  unto  Abra¬ 
ham;  therefore  God  brought  a  branch  of  his 
posterity  here  to  possess  it.  But  how  did  he 
bring  them  here,  and  when?  will  be  our  next 
object  to  show. 

First,  then,  we  will  remark,  that  we  have 
the  history  of  Ephraim’s  posterity  from  his 
days  down  to  the  captivity  of  the  ten  tribes, 
or  house  of  Israel,  by  Shalmanezer  the  King 
of  Assyria,  seven  hundred  and  twenty  years 
before  Christ;  and  during  this  time  his  seed 
never  become  even  one  distinct  or  separate 
nation,  but  was  in  bondage  in  Egypt  until 
Moses  delivered  Israel,  at  which  time,  his 
seed  constituted  about  one-twelfth  part  of 
that  nation,  until  the  revolt  of  the  ten  tribes 
under  Jepeboam,  the  son  of  Nebat,  from 
which  time  until  their  captivity  by  the  King 


BOOK  OF  MORMON* 


43 


of  Assyria,  the  sepd  of  Ephraim  constituted 
only  about  one-tenth  part  of  the  nation  of 
Israel.  And  this  is  the  last  scrap  of  history 
now  extant,  which  gives  any  account  of  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim  upon  the  eastern  continent. 
We,  therefore,  must  resort  to  the  prophecies 
to  find  what  has  become  of  them. 

Had  the  seed  of  Ephraim  remained  upon 
the  eastern  continent,  they  could  not  have 
been  lost,  or  cast  out,  from  the  knowledge  of 
the  eastern  nations,  from  the  fact  that  they 
were  to  become  a  multitude  of  nations  in  the 
midst  of  the  earth.  Therefore  they  could 
not  have  existed  without  the  knowledge  of 
Nebuchadrezzar,  Cyrus,  Alexander  the  Great 
and  the  Roman  Emperors.  For  they  push¬ 
ed  their  conquests  and  extended  their  domin¬ 
ions  to  every  part  of  that  continent.  There¬ 
fore  if  the  prophesy  concerning  Ephraim, 
(recorded  in  Genesis,  48th  Chapt.  19th  vs.) 
that  his  seed  should  become  a  multitude  of 
nations,  has  ever  been  fulfilled,  they  have 
left  the  eastern  continent  and  gone  to  some 
other  land.  And,  as  we  have  already  learn¬ 
ed  that  America  is  Joseph’s  land,  we  have 
good  reason  to  believe  that  this  is  the  land 
unto  which  they  came. 

And  again;  Jacob  says,  (Genesis  49th 
Chapt.  22d  verse:)  “Joseph  is  a  fruightful 
bough,  even  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well, 


44 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


whose  branches  run  over  the  wall/’  This  is 
figurative  language,  comparing  Joseph  to  a 
fruitful  bough,  whose  branches  run  over  the 
wall;  which  signifies  that  Josephus  posterity 
should  become  very  numerous,  and  finally  a 
branch  of  his  seed  should  pass  over  the  boun¬ 
daries  of  their  first  inheritance,  (the  wall 
signifying  boundary,)  into  another  land, 
which  boundary  I  will  now  show  is  the  sea, 
by  the  testimony  of  the  prophet  Isaiah,  16th 
Chapt.  8  verse.  He  says:  “The  fields  of 
Heshbon  languish,  and  the  vine  of  Sibmah: 
the  lords  of  the  heathen  have  broken  down 
the  principal  plants  thereof,  they  are  come 
even  unto  Jazer,  they  wandered  through  the 
wilderness;  her  branches  are  stretched  out, 
(or  marginal  readings,  plucked  up,)  they  are 
gone  over  the  sea.’?  This  Heshbon  and  Sib¬ 
mah  (or  Shibmah)  were  cities  built  and  in¬ 
habited  by  the  ten  tribes  or  nation  of  Israel. 
See  Numbers,  32d  Chapter,  37th  and  38th 
verses. 

Now  the  tribe  of  Joseph  was  the  first  and 
chief  tribe  of  this  nation.  Jereboam,  their 
first  king,  was  of  the  lineage  of  Joseph — and 
the  birthright  was  given  to  Joseph.  (See  1st 
Chronicles,  5th  chapt.,  1st  and  2d  verses.) — 
Now  Isaiah  says  that  the  lords  of  the  heathen 
had  broken  down  the  principal  plants  of  the 
nation  that  inhabited  Heshbon  and  Shibmah, 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


45 


which  was  done  at  the  time  the  Assyrians 
broke  down  the  ten  tribes  in  the  days  of  Ho- 
sea  the  king  of  Israel — about  twenty-four 
years  before  this  was  spoken  by  the  prophet. 
But  he  sa}^s,  notwithstanding  the  principal 
plants  of  this  nation  are  broken  down,  yet 
her  branches  wander  through  the  wilderness, 
being  stretched  out  or  plucked  up,  they  go 
over  the  sea.  Again  Jeremiah  says,  on  this 
same  subject,  in  his  48th  chapt.,  32d  verse: 
“Ovine  of  Sibmah!  I  will  weep  for  thee 
with  the  weeping  of  Jazer:  thy  plants  are 
gone  over  the  sea/7  From  these  scriptures 
we  learn  that  some  of  the  branches, or  plants, 
of  the  house  of  Israel,  the  ten  tribes  (the  na¬ 
tion  who  built  and  inhabited  Heshbon  and 
ShibmahJ)  did  go  over  the  sea.  Now  this, 
taken  in  connection  with  what  has  been  be¬ 
fore  quoted,  concerning  Joseph’s  branches 
running  over  the  wall — Ephraim’s  seed  be¬ 
coming  a  multitude  of  nations  in  the  midst 
of  the  earth — and  being  somewhere  west  of 
Jerusalem — together  with  the  proofs  that 
America  is  Joseph’s  land — we  have  good 
reason  to  believe  that  these  branches,  or 
plants,  of  the  house  of  Israel  here  referred  to 
were  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  who  left  their  first 
inheritance  and  the  eastern  continent,  and 
crossed  over  the  sea  to  inherit  the  land  of 
America,  which  God  gave  unto  Jacob  as  a 


46 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


% 

blessing  above  the  blessings  of  his  progeni¬ 
tors;  which  land  both  Jacob  and  Moses  con¬ 
ferred  upon  Joseph  and  upon  Ephraim,  the 
crown  of  the  head  of  Joseph.  But  when  did 
these  branches,  or  plants,  of  Joseph,  come 
here]  And  what  were  the  circumstances 
under  which  they  came]  Jeremiah  will  tell 
us,  in  the  49th  chapt.  of  his  prophesy,  com¬ 
mencing  at  the  30th  verse.  God  commands 
by  him,  saying,  “Flee!  get  you  far  off! 
dwell  deep!  O  ye  inhabitants  of  Hazor!  saith 
the  Lord;  for  Nebuchadrezzar  king  of  Baby¬ 
lon  hath  taken  counsel  against  you,  and  hath 
conceived  a  purpose  against  you.  Arise! 
get  you  up  unto  the  wealthy  nation,  that 
dwelleth  without  care,  saith  the  Lord,  which 
have  neither  gates  nor  bars,  which  dwell 
alone.  And  their  camels  shall  be  a  booty, 
and  the  multitude  of  their  cattle  a  spoil :  and 
I  will  scatter  into  all  winds  them  that  are  in 
the  utmost  corners;  and  I  will  bring  their 
calamity  from  all  sides  thereof,  saith  the 
Lord.” 

Now  Hazor  was  a  city  and  kingdom  in 
the  land  of  Canaan,  and  it  was  the  capitol  or 
head  of  all  the  kingdoms  round  about.  But 
Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  took  it  and  smote 
the  king  thereof  with  the  sword;  and  they 
smote  all  the  souls  that  were  therein  with 
the  edge  of  the  sword*  utterly  destroying 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


47 


them — there  was  not  any  left  to  breathe — 
•and  he  burnt  Hazor  with  fire.  (^See  Joshua, 
11th  chapt.,  10th  and  11th  verses.J  After¬ 
wards,  in  dividing  the  land  unto  the  children 
of  Israel,  he  appointed  Hazor  unto  the  tribe 
of  Judah.  (See  Joshua,  15th  chapt..  23d 
verse.  J  And  king  Solomon  in  his  days  re¬ 
built  it.  (^See  1st  Kings,  9th  chapt.,  15th 
•verse. )  Now  in  the  days  of  Jeremiah  Je¬ 
rusalem  was  the  capitol,  head,  and  chief  city 
of  all  that  country  round  about,  as  Hazor  was 
before  its  destruction  by  Joshua,  and  as  Jer¬ 
emiah  had  already  been  in  jeopardy  for  say¬ 
ing  that  Jerusalem  should  be  smitten  and 
destroyed  by  Nebuchadrezzar.  (^See  Jere¬ 
miah,  36th  chapt.)  Therefore  he  calls  the 
country  by  its  former  names,  and  speaks  of 
Hazor  as  its  capitol,  instead  of  Jerusalem. 

Now  it  was  a  thing  well  known  among  the 
Jews,  that  there  was  at  that  time  two  fami¬ 
lies  in  Jerusalem  which  the  Lord  had  cho¬ 
sen.  This  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  after 
the  city  was  destroyed  and  the  temple  burnt 
by  Nebuchadrezzar’s  army,  the  Jews  com¬ 
plained,  saying,  “The  two  families  which 
the  Lord  hath  chosen,  he  hath  even  cast 
them  off.”  Jeremiah,  33d  chapt.  24th  verse. 
And  they  made  this  complaint,  not  knowing 
that  the  Lord  had  led  them  out  previous  to 
the  destruction  of  the  city  into  the  wilderness 


48 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


that  they  might  go  over  the  sea.  For  Jer¬ 
emiah  in  the  above  proclamation  did  not  par¬ 
ticularize  ‘the  two  families  which  the  Lord 
had  chosen;7  but  spoke  in  general  terms, 
saying,  ‘O  ye  inhabitants  of  Hazor!7  &c. — 
Not  saying  how  many,  or  defining  any  par¬ 
ticular  ones.  As  they  were  to  ‘dwell  deep,7 
that  is,  go  in  secret;  hence  none  understood 
the  proclamation  fully,  at  that  time,  except 
‘the  two  families  which  the  Lord  had  chosen7 
— they  being  the  ones  to  whom  the  com¬ 
mandment  was  particularly  given. 

Now  at  the  time  when  the  Assyrians  broke 
down  the  principal  plants  of  the  house  of 
Israel,  those  branches,  or  plants,  ("from 
whom  sprung  the  two  families  which  the 
Lord  had  chosen)  were  dwelling  in  Jerusa¬ 
lem.  (See  1st  Chronicles,  9th  chapt.  3d 
verse.)  And  there  they  remained  until 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  after, 
when  Nebuchadrezzar  the  king  of  Babylon, 
took  counsel  against  the  nation  of  Judah, 
and  conceived  a  purpose  against  them.  And 
then  (as  there  was  no  longer  safety  for  them 
there)  thoLord  commanded  them  to  flee  and 
get  far  oft".  He  also  commands  them  to  dwell 
deep;  that  is  to  dwell  in  secret.  He  also 
tells  them  where  to  go,  saying,  “Arise  and 
get  you  up  unto  the  wealthy  nation  which 
dwelleth  without  care, and  have  neither  gates 


BOOK  OP  MORMON. 


49 


nor  bars,  which  dwell  alone.”  But  where 
did  such  a  nation  exist?  We  are  informed 
that  it  was  afar  off.  Now  such  a  nation 
could  not  have  existed  upon  the  eastern  con¬ 
tinent,  at  that  time,  for  Nebuchadrezzar  the 
king  of  Babylon,  had  then  pushed  his  con¬ 
quests  to  all  parts  of  the  land — and  all  the 
wealth  of  the  nations  he  had  plundered  and 
brought  to  Babylon,  to  make  the  place  of 
his  throne  more  glorious.  Therefore  if  a 
wealthy  nation  had  existed  any  where  in  the 
reach  of  the  Chaldean  armies,  they  could 
not  have  dwelt  without  care,  having  neither 
bars  nor  gates.  Neither  could  they  have 
dwelt  alone;  for  other  nations  being  round 
about  them,  and  knowing  of  their  wealth, 
would  not  have  permitted  them  to  have 
dwelt  alone.  Therefore  a  nation  of  this 
description  could  not  have  existed  upon  that 

land  at  that  time,  nor  anywhere  within  the 

•» 

knowledge  of  the  people  of  that  continent. — 
Hence  when  He  commanded  them  to  get  up 
to  such  a  nation,  He  commanded  them  to  get 
far  off,  even  beyond  the  sea;  to  a  land  un¬ 
known  to  the  people  of  that  continent — but 
inhabited  by  a  wealthy  nation,  w’hich  God 
promises  to  destroy  by  bringing  their  calam¬ 
ity  from  all  sides  thereof,  so  that  their  cattle 
should  be  a  spoil,  &c.  Now  that  such  na¬ 
tion  has  once  existed  upon  the  land  of  Amer- 


50 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


ica  and  been  utterly  destroyed,  is  evident 
from  the  history  of  the  antiquities  of  the 
-country.  An  extract  from  which  I  will  now 
subjoin.  Ruins  of  the  city  of  Otolom,  dis¬ 
covered  in  central  America,  extracted  from 
American  antiquities,  by  Josiah  Priest,  page 
241 :  The  ruins  of  this  city  were  surveyed 
by  Capt.  Del  Rio  in  1787,  an  account  of 
which  was  published  in  English  in  1822.' — 
This  account  gives  partly  the  description  of 
the  ruins  of  a  stone  city  of  no  less  dimen¬ 
sions  than  seventy-five  miles  in  circuit — 
length  32  miles — breadth  12  miles — and  full 
of  palaces,  monuments,  statues,  and  inscrip¬ 
tions;  one  of  the  earliest  seats  of  American 
civilization,  about  equal  to  Thebes  of  an¬ 
cient  Egypt.  At  Boliver  in  the  same  coun¬ 
try,  is  another  mass  of  ancient  ruins  and 
mine  of  historical  knowledge.  It  appears  that 
this  people  in  cutting  roads  through  the  Cor¬ 
dillera  mountains,  found  gold,  silver,  copper, 
and  lead  mines,  which  were  opened  and 
worked  to  a  great  extent;  all  of  which  is  ev¬ 
idence  of  their  knowledge  of  architecture, 
minerology,  and  agriculture.  It  further  adds, 
in  many  places  of  that  country,  are  found 
the  ruins  of  whole  acqueducts,  some  of  which 
says  Dr.  Morse,  the  geographer,  would  have 
been  thought  works  of  difficulty  in  civilized 
nations.  Again,  on  page  243,  he  says, — 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


51 


44 We  are  compelled  to  ascribe  some  of  the 
vast  operations  of  the  ancient  nations  of  this 
country,  to  those  ages  which  correspond  with 
the  times  and  manners  of  the  people  of 
Egypt;  which  are  also  beyond  the  reach  of 
authentic  history.”  This  extract  is  proof 
sufficient  to  warrant  us  in  the  belief  that 
such  a  wealthy  nation  as  is  described  above, 
did  live  upon  this  land  about  that  time;  and 
that  they  dwelt  alone  is  evident  from  the  fact 
that  no  other  nation  knew  of  this  land. — 
And  that  they  dwelt  without  care,  is  evident, 
not  only  from  the  same  fact,  but  also  from 
the  fact  that  this  tremendous  great  city  had 
neither  gates  nor  bars.  Many  other  extracts 
might  be  made  from  the  antiquities  in  proof 
of  the  same  thing,  but  I  judge  this  to  be  suffi¬ 
cient  to  establish  the  fact  in  the  mind  of  ev¬ 
ery  thinking  person,  that  such  a  nation  once 
existed  upon  this  land,  and  have  been  des¬ 
troyed  by  some  means  or  other,  and  another 
people  are  now  in  their  place.  The  follow¬ 
ing  quotation  from  Jeremiah  explains  the 
whole  mystery:  God  says,  I  will  scatter  into 
all  winds  them  that  are  in  the  uttermost  cor¬ 
ners  and  bring  their  calamity  from  all  sides 
of  them,  and  thus  clear  the  land,  leaving 
their  cattle,  &c.  for  a  spoil  and  a  booty  unto 
the  inhabitants  of  Hazor,  the  branches  of  Jo- 


52 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


I  will  now  introduce  the  traditions  of  the 
Indian  tribes  inhabiting  Mexico,  concerning 
the  time  of  the  first  settlement  of  this  land, 
and  the  confusion  of  languages  at  the  tower 
of  Babel.  American  antiquities,  by  Josiah 
Priest,  page  200  and  202,  the  tradition  says 
that  the  tongues  were  distributed  by  a  bird, 
and  were  infinitely  various,  and  those  re¬ 
ceiving  them  were  dispersed  over  the  earth 
in  different  directions.  But  it  so  happened 
that  fifteen  heads  of  families  were  permitted 
to  speak  the  same  language.  These  em¬ 
bodied  themselyes  and  traveled  till  they  come 
to  a  country  which  they  called  Astelon  or 
the  Lake  Country,  supposed  to  be  in  the  re¬ 
gion  of  the  now  United  States,  according  to 
Humbolt.  As  favoring  this  idea  w^e  notice 
the  word  Astelon  signifies  in  their  language, 
wrater  or  a  country  of  much  water.  Now 
no  country  on  the  earth  better  suits  this  ap¬ 
pellation  than  the  western  country,  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  vast  number  of  lakes  found 
there.  From  this  tradition  we  learn  that 
this  continent  wras  peopled  as  early  as  the 
confusion  of  languages  at  the  great  tower — 
and  this  tradition  is  corroborated  by  the 
fact  that  these  ruins  of  ancient  cities  are  of 
so  ancient  a  date,  that  whatever  nation  built 
them,  they  must  have  commenced  their  set¬ 
tlement  immediately  after  the  confusion  of 


BOOK  OB1  MORMON. 


53 


languages  in  order  to  have  been  capable  of 
building  such  works  at  so  early  a  date.  Here 
then  in  America  is  not  only  Joseph’s  land, 
which  is  a  choice  land  above  all  other  lands, 
with  Ephraim  upon  it — a  multitude  of  na¬ 
tions  on  the  west  of  Jerusalem,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  earth — with  the  stick  of  Joseph 
containing  the  great  things  of  God’s  law, 
written  to  Ephraim,  hid  up  in  the  earth,  to 
come  forth  again  out  of  the  earth — but  here 
is  the  land  where  the  wealthy  nation  existed, 
who  dwelt  without  care,  having  neither  gates 
nor  bars — which  dwelt  alone — and  they 

w 

commenced  their  settlement  here  immediately 
after  the  confusion  at  the  Tower  of  Babel. 

Now  we  will  sum  up  all  these  testimonies, 
and  see  what  we  have  gained.  First,  a  few 
families  at  the  time  of  the  confusion  of  langua¬ 
ges  at  the  tower  of  Babel,  were  permitted  to 
speak  one  language.  These  were  embodied 
and  came  to  America,  where  being  shut  out 
from  the  rest  of  the  world,  .upon  a  choice, 
rich,  and  healthy  soil  of  land,  abounding  with 
minerals  of  almost  every  sort,  and  possessing 
the  knowledge  of  architecture,  minerology, 
and  agriculture,  so  far  as  they  were  known 
to  the  descendants  of  Noah,  before  the  con¬ 
fusion  of  languages;  with  a  reasonable  de¬ 
gree  of  industry  and  perseverance,  they  soon 
became  a  wealthy  nation.  And  they  dwelt 


54 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


without  care,  having  neither  gates  nor  bars, 
because  they  were  shut  out  from  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  all  other  nations,  and  thus  dwelt 
alone;  having  no  fears  of  being  robbed,  plun¬ 
dered  or  destroyed  by  any  other  nation. — 
Therefore  they  dwelt  without  care,  and  in 
all  probability  became  lifted  up  in  pride,  and 
forgot  the  God  who  had  led  them  to  this  choice 
land  and  blessed  them  so  abundantly  upon 
it.  Therefore  he  says,  I  will  bring  their 
calamity  from  all  sides  thereof  and  scatter 
into  all  winds  them  that  are  in  the  uttermost 
corners,  and  thus  clear  the  land  for  a  more 
righteous  people,  even  for  the  branches  of 
Joseph  which  were  to  run  over  the  wall  (or 
sea )  and  possess  this  choice  or  blessed  land. 
Second,  Joseph's  posterity  which  was  to  grow 
into  a  multitude  in  the  midst  of  the  earth,  and 
Ephraim’s  seed  which  was  to  become  a  mul¬ 
titude  of  nations,  continued  with  their  breth¬ 
ren  of  the  other  tribes,  until  the  Assyrian 
captivity  of  the  ten  tribes,  at  which  time  some 
of  the  posterity  of  Joseph  and  of  Ephraim 
being  joined  to  the  house  of  Judah  at  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  were  not  carried  away  into  captivity, 

but  remained  in  Jerusalem  until  the  days  of 

•/ 

the  prophet  Jeremiah,  six  hundred  years  be¬ 
fore  Christ,  when  in  consequence  of  the  pur¬ 
pose  which  Nebuchadrezer,  the  King  of  Ba¬ 
bylon,  had  conceived  against  Jerusalem  to 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


55 


destroy  it,  God  commanded  them  to  flee  and 
get  far  oft',  (even  beyond  the  sea,  unto  the 
land  now  called  America,)  and  to  go  in  se¬ 
cret,  lest  they  should  be  followed  and  destroy¬ 
ed  by  Nebuchadrezer  s  commands,  as  he  was 
then  monarch  of  the  world. 

Yea,  he  commands  them  to  arise  and  get  up 
unto  the  wealthy  nation  which  dwelt  without 
care,  having  neither  gates  nor  bars,  which 
dwelt  upon  the  land  of  America,  which  land 
God  gave  unto  Jacob  as  a  blessing  above  the 
blessings  of  his  progenitors,  which  is  to  the 
utmost  bounds  of  the  everlasting  hills,  from 
Egypt.  Which  land  also,  Jacob  conferred 
upon  Joseph  their  father;  and  Moses  the  man 
of  God,  blessed  it  unto  his  seed.  Therefore 
God  promises  to  destroy  this  wealthy  nation 
(undoubtedly  for  their  wickedness,)  and  give 
the  land  with  all  their  wealth,  unto  these 
remnants  of  Joseph.  Accordingly,  in  obe¬ 
dience  to  this  command,  they  started  from 
Jerusalem,  privately,  and  went  into  the  bor¬ 
ders  of  the  wilderness,  by  the  Red  sea.  And 
after  wandering  through  the  wilderness,  un¬ 
to  the  Arabian  sea,  they  built  a  ship,  by 
God’s  direction,  and  came  over  the  sea  to 
the  promised  land.  There  they  found  the 
wealthy  nation  all  destroyed  and  their  bones 
scattered  over  the  face  of  the  land.  But 
their  cattle,  and  beasts  of  every  kind,  being 


56 


EVIDENCES  IF  PROOF  OF  THE 


left,  were  a  spoil  unto  them.  These  rem¬ 
nants  of  Joseph,  possessing  the  light  of  God’s 
revelation,  having  continually  among  them 
prophets  and  inspired  men,  who  were  the  ru¬ 
lers  of  the  nation,  and  being  of  Jerusalem, 
the  city  where  David  dwelt,  they  were  in 
deed  and  in  truth,  the  Lion  of  God,  (or  Ariel.) 
These,  therefore,  posessing  an  extraordinary 
divine  spirit,  by  which  they  could  foretell  fu¬ 
ture  events  and  control  the  common  course  of 
nature,  wrote  a  history  of  their  nation,  to¬ 
gether  with  the  word  of  God  revealed  unto 
them;  and  this  was  a  sacred  Book,  which  was 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation, 
and  written  by  a  succession  of  prophets 
who  were  raised  up  to  be  the  rulers  of  that 
nation.  But  as  there  were  some  of  that  na¬ 
tion  who  did  not  wish  to  be  governed  by  the 
revelations  and  commandments  of  God, 
therefore  they  dissented  and  established  a 
nation  by  themselves.  This  dissenting  na¬ 
tion,  finally  overpowered  the  other,  after 
protracted  wars,  which  accounts  for  the  nu¬ 
merous  fortifications  and  works  of  defence 
which  are  found  so  profusely  scattered  over 
the  face  of  this  land.  Ariel  was  brought 
down — the  nation  that  had  prophets  and  in¬ 
spired  men  for  its  rulers,  was  brought  down; 
but  their  words  having  been  written  in  the 
sacred  book,  which  must  not  be  destroyed, 


BOOK  OF  mormon- 


57 


it  was  hid  up  in  the  earth,  but  to  come  forth 
at  some  future  time,  when  they  will  speak 
out  of  the  ground,  and  their  voice  will  whis¬ 
per  out  of  the  dust.  Yea,  this  is  the  stick 
of  Joseph,  in  the  hand  of  Ephraim,  which 
God  will  take  and  put  with  the  stick  of  Ju¬ 
dah,  the  bible. 

And  these  two  sticks  ('or  books,)  put  to- 
gether,  and  becoming  one  in-  the  Lord’s  hand, 
is  an  ensign  which  God  will  raise  upon  the 
mountains  of  America,  as  recorded  by  Isaiah, 
18th  Chapt.  He  says:  “Woe  to  the  land 
shadowing  with  wings,  which  is  beyond  the 
rivers  of  Ethiopia.”  Now,  the  whole  conti¬ 
nent  since  called  Africa,  was  then  called 
Ethiopia.  The  rivers  referred  to,  are  a  lit¬ 
tle  south  of  west  from  Jerusalem,  (the  place 
where  the  prophet  dwelt,  when  he  wrote  the 
above  declaration,)  on  the  western  shore  of 
Africa.  Their  present  names  are,  as  fol¬ 
lows,  viz:  Niger,  Sinegal,  Grande,  and 
Mesurado.  In  looking  beyond  these  rivers, 
from  Jerusalem,  upon  the  map  of  the  world, 
the  first  land  the  eye  lights  upon,  is  North 
and  South  America,  stretched  out  between 
the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  Oceans,  from  the 
South  Temperate  to  the  North  Frigid  zones, 
and  the  form  thereof  is  like  the  shadow  of 
two  great  wings.  Here,  then,  is  the  land, 
shadowing  with  wings,  which  is  beyond  the 


58 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


rivers  of  Ethiopia.  But  the  prophet  goes  on 
in  his  description,  and  says,  that  they  send 
embassadors  by  the  sea,  even  in  vessels  of 
bulrushes,  (or  rushing  vessels,)  upon  the  wa¬ 
ters,  saying,  Go,  ye  swift  messengers  to  a 
nation  scattered  and  peeled,  and  to  a  people 
terrible  from  their  beginning  hitherto;  a  na¬ 
tion  meted  out  and  trodden  down,  whose  land 
the  rivers  have  spoiled;  (or  marginal  read¬ 
ings,  whose  land  the  nations  have  despised.) 
The  nation  and  people  here  referred  to,  are 
evidently  the  nation  and  people  called  Jews, 
from  the  fact  that  they  are  scattered  &  peel¬ 
ed,  and  have  been  terrible  from  their  begin¬ 
ning,  and  hitherto  a  nation  meted  out  and 
trodden  down,  and  the  nations  have  despised 
their  land.  Therefore,  the  prophet  says  that 
embassadors  shall  be  sent  from  this  land,  by 
the  sea  unto  the  nation  of  Jews,  even  in 
rushing  vessels  upon  the  waters,  saying,  “Go 
ye  swift  messengers,  &c.v  But  before  these 
swift  messengers  shall  be  sent  from  this  land, 
God  will  lift  up  an  ensign  on  the  mountains, 
and  call  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world 
and  dwellers  on  the  earth  to  see  it,  and  to 
hear  the  trumpet  which  he  will  then  blow.- 
For  the  prophet  continues  in  the  3d  verse, 
saying:  “All  ye  inhabitanss  of  the  world, 
and  dwellers  on  the  earth,  see  ye,  when  he 
Jiftethupan  ensign  on  the  mountains:  and 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


59 


when  he  blovveth  a  trumpet  hear  ye.  For 
so  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  I  will  take  my  rest, 
and  I  will  consider  in  my  dwelling  place  like 
a  clear  heat  upon  herbs,  and  like  a  cloud  of 
dew  in  the  heat  of  harvest.  For  afore  the 
harvest,  when  the  bud  is  perfect,  and  the  sour 
grape  is  ripening  in  the  flower,  he  shall  both 
cut  off  the  sprigs  with  pruning-hooks,  and 
take  away  and  cut  down  the  branches.  They 
shall  be  left  together  unto  the  fowls  of  the 
mountains,  and  to  the  beasts  of  the  earth; 
and  the  fowls  shall  summer  upon  them,  and 
all  the  beasts  of  the  earth  shall  winter  upon 
them.  In  that  time  shall  the  present  be  bro’t 
unto  the  Lord  of  hosts  of  a  people  scattered 
and  peeled,  and  from  a  people  terrible  from 
their  beginning  hitherto;  a  nation  meted  out 
and  trodden  under  foot,  whose  land  the  riv¬ 
ers  have  spoiled,  (or  the  nations  have  despis¬ 
ed,)  to  the  place  of  the  name  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  the  mount  Zion.”  Now  when  we  sum 
up  the  sentiment  couched  in  this  chapter,  we 
have  the  following:  First,  that  God  would 
take  his  rest,  (that  is  cease  to  work  on  earth 
among  the  children  of  men,  by  giving  them 
revelations,  and  working  miracles  among 
them.)  But  he  would  consider  in  his  dwell¬ 
ing-place,  like  a  clear  heat  upon  herbs,  and 
like  a  cloud  of  dew  in  the  heat  of  harvest, 
('that  is,  he  would  while  abiding  in  his  dwell- 


60 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


ing-place,  consider  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth,  and  would  shed  forth  certain  general 
blessings,  equally  upon  all,  like  a  clear  heat 
upon  herbs,  and  like  a  cloud  of  dew  in  the 
heat  of  harvests.)  Second:  Just  before  the 
harvest,  or  the  end  of  the  world,  ( for  Christ 
said,  the  harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world;  see 
Matthew  13,  39  when  the  sour  grapes  or 
harvest  of  the  earth  is  ripening,  God  shall 
take  the  stick  of  Joseph  out  of  the  ground 
in  America,  containing  the  words  of  Ariel, 
which  were  to  speak  out  of  the  ground,  even 
the  sacred  book  of  the  natives,  containing 
their  sacred  laws,  (or  the  great  things  of 
God’s  law  written  to  Ephraim, )  and  put  it 
with  the  stick  of  Judah,  (thebible,)  in  Amer¬ 
ica;  and  this  shall  be  lifted  up  as  an  ensign 
on  the  mountains  of  the  land  shadowing  with 
wings,  which  is  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethio¬ 
pia  from  Jerusalem,  (which  land  I  have  shown 
to  be  America, )  and  call  upon  all  the  inhab¬ 
itants  of  the  world,  and  dwellers  on  the  earth 
to  see  it,  and  to  hear  the  trumpet  he  will 
blow  at  the  same  time.  Third:  Immediate¬ 
ly  after  this  ensign  shall  be  raised  and  the 
trumpet  blown  in  America,  there  will  be 
swift  messengers  sent  from  this  land  to  the 
Jewish  nation;  and  after  they  are  gone,  God 
will  cut  off  the  sprigs  of  this  nation,  with 
pruning-hooks,  and  take  away  and  cut  down 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


f)l 


the  branches;  and  they  shall  be  left  together, 
for  the  fowls  of  the  mountains,  and  for  the 
beasts  of  the  earth,  to  summer  and  winter 
upon.  Now  a  sprig  is  a  branch  not  come  to 
maturity;  therefore  the  territories  of  this  na- 
tion  are  the  sprigs,  and  the  states  are  the  bran¬ 
ches.  Fourth:  After  God  has  cut  off  all  the 
territories  of  this  nation  and  has  taken  away 
and  cut  down  the  states;  and  the  inhabitants 
thereof  are  left  for  the  fowls  of  the  moun¬ 
tains  and  for  the  beasts  of  the  earth  to  sum¬ 
mer  and  winter  upon,  then  at  that  time  these 
swift  messengers,  who  were  sent  from  this 
land,  will  return  and  bring  from  Jerusalem, 
a  part  of  the  Jewish  nation,  as  a  present  un¬ 
to  the  Lord  of  hosts;  and  this  present  they 
will  bring  unto  the  place  of  the  name  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  the  Mount  Zion :  which  is  the 
same  mountain  upon  which  God  will  lift  up 
the  ensign  and  call  upon  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  world  and  dwellers  on  the  earth,  to 
see  it. 

As  a  corroborating  proof  of  this  last  dec¬ 
laration,  I  will  just  quote  Jeremiah  4th  chapt 
commencing  at  the  5th  verse.  He  says: — 
“Declare  ye  in  Judah,  and  publish  in  Jeru¬ 
salem;  and  say,  blow  ye  the  trumpet  in  the 
land;  cry,  gather  together,  and  say,  assem¬ 
ble  yourselves,  and  let  us  go  into  the  defenc- 
ed  cities.  Set  up  the  standard  toward  Zion: 


62 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


retire,  stay  not;  for  I  will  bring  evil  from 
the  north,  and  a  great  destruction/’  Here 
somebody  is  commanded  to  declare  in  Judah 
and  publish  in  Jerusalem,  that  they  must 
gather  together-  and  assemble  themselves, 
and  go  into  the  defenced  cities.  And  he  com¬ 
mands  them  to  “set  up  the  standard  toward 
Zion”  and  “retire  and  stay  not.”  Hence 
they  were  to  go  to  Zion  from  Jerusalem,  with 
some  of  the  Jews,  as  a  present  to  the  Lord 
of  hosts.  From  this  we  learn  that  America 
is  not  only  Joseph’s  land,  where  Ephraim 
dwells,  and  the  place  where  the  stick  of  Jo¬ 
seph  is  deposited  in  the  earth,  to  be  taken  by 
the  Lord  and  put  with  the  stick  of  Judah, 
( the  bible, )  and  lifted  up  as  an  ensign  for  the 
nations  upon  the  mountains  of  this  land. — 
But  it  is  also  the  place  where  the  Zion  of  God 
is  to  be  built,  in  which  there  will  be  deliv- 
erence  and  holiness.  For  Zion  and  Jerusa¬ 
lem  are  two  places,  as  you  will  learn  from 
the  above  quotation,  where  they  are  com¬ 
manded  to  leave  Jerusalem  and  go  to  Zion. — 
The  one  being  in  Asia,  and  the  other  in 
America,  ( or  upon  the  land  shadowing  with 
wings  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia  from  Je¬ 
rusalem.)  The  gathering  is  to  be  both  to 
~  Zion  and  Jerusalem.  The  tribe  of  Judah 
will  gather  to  Jerusalem,  and  the  remnants 
of  Joseph  to  Zion.  But  at  the  coming  of 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


63 


Christ,  they  are  to  become  one*  The  sea 
will  return  to  its  own  place  in  the  polar  re¬ 
gions,  and  the  islands  and  the  continents  will 
then  become  one  land,  and  Zion  and  Jerusa¬ 
lem  one  city. 

Again,  Ezekiel  seems  to  have  an  allusion 
to  the  foregoing  subjects  in  his  17th  Chapt. 
commencing  at  the  22d  verse.  After  having 
put  forth  a  riddle,  and  spoken  a  parable  to 
the  house  of  Israel  and  explained  it,  he  says: 
“Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  will  also  take 
of  the  highest  branch  of  the  high  cedar,  and 
will  set  it;  I  will  crop  off  from  the  top  of  his 
young  twigs  a  tender  one,  and  will  plant  it 
upon  an  high  mountain  and  eminent;  In  the 
mountain  of  the  height  of  Israel  will  I  plant 
it;  and  it  shall  bring  forth  boughs,  and  bear 
fruit,  and  be  a  goodly  cedar:  and  under  it 
shall  dwell  all  fowl  of  every  wing;  in  the 
shadow  of  the  branches  thereof  shall  they 
dwell.  And  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall 
know  that  I  the  Lord  have  brought  down  the 
high  tree,  have  exalted  the  low  tree,  have 
dried  up  the  green  tree,  and  have  made  the 
dry  tree  to  flourish:  I  the  Lord  have  spoken* 
and  have  done  it.”  Now  we  are  informed  in 
a  former  part  of  this  chapter  that  the  cedar 
tree  represents  the  nation  of  Israel.  There¬ 
fore  the  other  trees  represent  other  nations* 
The  prophet  had  been  Speaking  of  Nebu<- 


04 


EVIDENCES  IN  TROOF  OF  THE 


chadrezzar,  the  King  of  Babylon,  coming 
against  Jerusalem,  to  carry  the  house  of  Ju¬ 
dah  into  captivity — the  same  captivity  spo¬ 
ken  of  by  Jeremiah,  when  he  commanded 
the  inhabitants  of  Hazor  to  arise  and  get  up 
unto  the  wealthy  nation.  Now  the  high  ce¬ 
dar  being  the  nation  of  Israel,  the  highest 
branch  of  the  high  cedar  is  the  tribe  of  Jo¬ 
seph — for  the  birth-right  was  Joseph’s.  See 
1st  Chronicles,  5th  Chapt.  1st  and  2d  verses. 

Now  then,  God  says,  I  will  crop  off  from 
the  top  of  the  young  twigs  of  Joseph,  a  ten¬ 
der  one;  (here  is  the  branch  of  Joseph  that 
run  over  the  wall,  and  here  is  the  plant 
that  went  over  the  sea;)  and  I  will  plant  it  in 
the  mountain  of  the  height  of  Israel,  w*hich 
is  the  land  of  America;  for  it  was  after  Ja¬ 
cob’s  name  was  changed  to  Israel  that  his 
blessings  prevailed  unto  this  land.  There¬ 
fore  it  was  planted  in  America,  and  grew  and 
become  a  goodly  cedar,  and  brought  forth 
boughs,  and  bare  fruit,  (now  that  it  bore  fruit 
their  sacred  book  is  evidence.)  And  now*  as 
they  are  to  build  up  Zion  in  the  last  days, 
by  their  sacred  book,  or  the  stick  of  Joseph 
coming  forth,  as  an  ensign,  &c.;  And  as 
there  will  be  gathered  unto  Zion  some  from 
every  nation  under  heaven;  therefore  under 
it  will  dwell  all  fowls  of  every  wing,  in  the 
shadow  of  the  branches  thereof  shall  they 


book  or  Mormon. 


65 


dwell.  That  is,  under  the  government  of 
Zion  and  her  stakes,  shall  men  from  all  na¬ 
tions,  tongues  and  languages  dwell.  “Then 
all  the  trees  of  the  field,  (or  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth,)  shall  know  that  I  the  Lord  have 
brought  down  the  high  tree,  (the  nation  of 
Israel,)  and  exalted  the  low  tree,  (the  na¬ 
tions  of  the  Gentiles.”)  And  again,  “That 
I  have  dried  up  the  green  tree,  (the  gentiles) 
and  made  the  dry  tree  (the  nation  of  Israel) 
to  flourish.  I  the  Lord  have  spoken,  and 
have  done  it.” 

Our  next  obieet  will  be  to  show  how  God 
is  to  take  the  stick  of  Joseph  which  is  hid  up 
in  the  land  of  America,  and  put  it  with  the 
stick  of  Judah;  or  in  other  words,  how  he 
is  to  bring  forth  this  sacred  book,  containing 
the  sacred  laws  of  God,  written  to  Ephraim, 
or  the  aborigines  of  this  country,  and  hid  in 
the  earth.  For  this  testimony  we  will  quote 
Isaiah  29th  chapter,  commencing  at  the  9th 
verse:  “Stay  yourselves  and  wonder;  cry 
ye  out,  and  cry:  they  are  drunken,  but  not 
with  wine;  they  stagger,  but  not  with  strong 
drink.  For  the  Lord  hath  poured  out  upon 
you  the  spirit  of  deep  sleep,  and  hath  closed 
your  eyes:  the  prophets  and  your  rulers,  the 
seers,  hath  he  covered.  And  the  vision  of  all 
is  become  unto  you  as  the  words  of  a  book 
that  is  sealed,  which  men  deliver  to  one  that 

3 


G6  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

is  learned,  saying,  read  this,  I  pray  thee: 
and  he  saith,  I  cannot,  for  it  is  sealed.  And 
the  book  is  delivered  to  him  that  is  not  learn¬ 
ed,  saying,  read  this,  I  pray  thee:  and  he 
saith,  I  am  not  learned.  Wherefore  the 
Lord  said,  forasmuch  as  this  people  draw 
near  me  with  their  mouth,  and  with  their 
lips  do  honor  me,  but  have  removed  their 
heart  far  from  me,  and  their  fear  toward  me 
is  taught  by  the  precept  of  men;  therefore, 
behold,  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  marvelous 
work  among  this  people,  even  a  marvelous 
work  and  a  wonder;  for  the  wisdom  of  their 
wise  men  shall  perish,  and  the  understand¬ 
ing  of  their  prudent  men  shall  be  hid.”  Now 
the  prophet  had  been  speaking  in  a  former 
part  of  this  chapter,  of  Ariel  being  brought 
down,  and  speaking  out  of  the  ground.  And 
he  says,  when  this  shall  come  to  pass  that 
Ariel  shall  speak  out  of  the  ground  and  their 
voice  shall  whisper  out  of  the  dust,  that  the 
multitude  of  his  (Ariel's)  strangers  (or  the 
people  that  were  of  the  nation  of  Ariel,) 
would  be  Iike3small  dust;  ('that  is,  mouldered 
away  to  dust,)  and  that  the  multitude  of  his 
( Ariel’s)  terrible  ones  (that  is,  his  warriors,) 
should  be  as  chaff  that  passeth  away;  (that 
is,  they  shall  be  all  gone;)  and  they  passed 
away  suddenly.  Now  the  prophet  says  that 
when  Ariel  shall  be  about  to  speak  out  of  th$ 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


67 

ground,  or  when  the  Lord  shall  be  about  to 
take-the  stick  of  Joseph  out  of  the  earth, 
that  the  nations  shall  be  drunken,  but  not 
with  wine;  and  they  shall  stagger,  but  not 
with  strong  drink.  He  then  goes  on  and 
tells  what  they  are*  drunken  with,  and  why 
they  stagger;  for  he  says:  “The  Lord  has 
poured  out  upon  them  the  spirit  of  deep 
sleep.”  They  are  drunken  therefore  with  spir¬ 
itual  drowsiness,  having  closed  their  eyes, 
and  rejected  the  prophets.  Therefore  their 
rulers  and  the  seers,  God  hath  covered;  and 
spiritual  darkness  covers  them  all.  And  they 
stagger,  not  knowing  the  truth;  and  the  vis¬ 
ion  (that  is,  the  sight  or  understanding,)  of 
all,  has  become  unto  them  as  the  words  of  a 
book  that  is  sealed,  which  men  deliver  to  one 
that  is  learned,  saying,  read  this,  I  pray  thee; 
and  he  saith,  I  cannot,  for  it  is  sealed,  &c. 
That  is,  they  are  all  filled  with  so  much  spir¬ 
itual  darkness,  that  they  cannot  see,  under¬ 
stand  or  know  any  thing  beyond  the  research 
of  human  learning.  Therefore,  as  the  learn¬ 
ed  man  could  not  read  the  words  of  the  book 
because  they  were  sealed,  ( or  the  knowledge 
of  their  meaning  lost  from  among  men,  and 
consequently  could  not  be  obtained  by  human 
learning,  J  so  the  prophet  says  that  all  the 
learned  men  of  that  generation  were  just 
like  him — none  of  them  could  read  it;  be- 


68 


EVIDENCES  IF  PROOF  OF  THE 


cause  it  is  sealed,  (or  beyond  the  research  of 
human  learning, )  and  as  the  unlearned  said 
I  am  not  learned,  so  all  the  unlearned  of  that 
generation  would  make  the  same  excuse. — 
The  vision  of  all,  both  learned  and  unlearn¬ 
ed,  has  become  so  dimned  unto  them,  that 
they  do  not  discern,  understand  or  know  any 
thing  beyond  the  research  of  human  learn¬ 
ing.  “Wherefore  the  Lord  said,  for  as  much 
as  this  people,  (that  is  all  the  people  of  the 
generation  in  the  which  this  book  is  to  be 
brought  forth,  the  words  of  which  is  to  be 
delivered  to  one  that  is  learned,^  draw  near 
me  with  their  mouths,  and  honor  me  with 
their  lips,  but  have  removed  their  hearts  far 
from  me;  and  their  fear  toward  me  is  taught 
by  the  precepts  of  men;”  (that  is,  they  have 
none  that  teach  them  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
but  such  as  have  no  inspiration;  and  they 
teach  by  their  learning,  according  to  the  doc¬ 
trines,  commandments  and  precepts  devised 
by  men  since  inspiration  ceased.) 

“Therefore,  Behold,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will 
proceed  to  do  a  marvelous  work  among  this 
people,  even  a  marvelous  work  and  a  won¬ 
der;”  fthat  is,  he  will  do  a  work  among  this 
people  that  they  will  marvel  and  wonder  at; 
for  he  will  make  the  unlearned,  by  the  in- 
spiration  of  his  spirit,  read  and  translate  the 
>yords  of  the  book  wlpch  their  learned  men 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


69 


could  not  read;  and  thereby  he  will  make 
the  wisdom  of  their  wise  men  to  perish,  andthe 
understanding  of  their  prudent  men  to  be  hid.) 

This  then,  is  the  way  God  is  to  take  the 
stick  of  Joseph  and  put  it  with  the  stick  of 
Judah.  He  is  to  make  use  of  man  as  an  in¬ 
strument,  and  command  him  to  deliver  the 
words  of  the  book  to  the  learned,  &c.;  and 
finally,  inspire  the  unlearned  man  to  read 
and  translate  it,  and  cause  it  to  be  published 
to  the  nations.  And  thus  the  Lord  takes  it 
and  puts  it  with  the  stick  of  Judah,  (the  bi- 
ble.) 

Now  we  next  come  to  speak  of  some  of 
the  events  that  are  to  follow  this  book’s  com¬ 
ing  forth.  The  prophet  says:  “Wo  to 
them  that  seek  deep  to  hide  their  counsel 
from  the  Lord,  and  their  works  are  in  the 
dark,  and  they  say,  Who  seeth  us?  and  who 
knoweth  us?”  Now  this  wo  is  pronounced 
against  them  that  persist  in  teaching  a  fear 
toward  God  by  the  precepts  of  men,  after 
this  book  has  come  forth  and  brought  the 
light  whereby  they  might  see  and  know  the 
truth. 

But  because  they  love  darkness  rather  than 
light,  their  deeds  being  evil,  they  continue 
in  the  dark  and  will  not  come  to  the  light, 
lest  their  deeds  should  be  reproved.  And 
while  they  work  in  the  dark,  thinking  that 


70 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


no  one  sees  them  or  knows  them,  at  the  same 
time  professing  to  fear  God  and  to  teach  men 
the  fear  of  the  Lord,  they  look  upon  them 
that  God  has  chosen  to  do  his  marvelous  work, 
and  wonder  at  them,  yet  they  say  surely, 
your  turnings  of  things  upside  down  shall  be 
esteemed  as  the  potter's  clay.  But  the  an¬ 
swer  of  God  unto  them  is,  “Shall  the  work 
say  of  him  that  made  it,  He  made  me  not; 
or  shall  the  thing  framed  say  of  him  that 
framed  it,  He  had  no  understanding?  For  it 
is  not  yet  but  a  very  little  while,  and  Leba¬ 
non  (a  forest  in  the  land  of  Palestine,)  shall 
be  turned  into  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruit¬ 
ful  field  ( or  the  place  where  the  gentiles 
dwell,)  shall  be  esteemed  as  a  forest.  And 
in  that  day,  the  deaf  shall  hear  the  words  of 
the  book;  and  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  see 
out  of  obscurity,  and  out  of  darkness.  The 
meek  also  shall  increase,  and  their  joy  shall 
be  in  the  Lord;  and  tlie  poor  among  men 
shall  rejoice  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  For 
the  terrible  one  (that  is,  he  that  oppressed 
the  poor  and  persecuted  the  meek,J  is  bro't 
to  nought,  and  the  scorner  ( he  that  despised 
and  scoffed  at  the  poor  and  meek,J  is  con¬ 
sumed,  and  all  that  watch  for  iniquity  are  cut 
-off;  for  all  that  watch  for  iniquity  make  a 
man  an  offender  for  a  word,  and  lay  a  snare 
for  him  that  reproveth  in  the  gate,  and  turn 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


71 


aside  the  just  for  a  thing  of  nought.  These 
being  all  cut  off,  “Thus  saith  the  Lord  who 
redeemed  Abraham,  concerning  the  house  of 
Jacob:  Jacob  shall  not  now  be  ashamed,  nei¬ 
ther  shall  his  face  now  wax  pale,  when  he 
seeth  his  children,  the  work  of  mine  hands, 
in  the  midst  ot  him,  (or  he  in  the  midst  of 
them,)  for  they  shall  sanctify  my  name,  and 
sanctify  the  Holy  One  of  Jacob  and  shall 
fear  the  God  of  Israel.  They  also  that  er- 
red  in  spirit  shall  come  to  understanding,  and 
they  that  murmered  shall  learn  doctrine.”  In 
the  above  quotation  we  have  a  sketch  of  all 
the  great  events  which  are  to  follow  the 
coming  forth  of  this  book. 

First;  there  is  to  be  extensive  priestcrafts, 
and  secret  works  of  darkness,  and  the  actors 
in  these  things  are  to  predict  the  overthrow 
of  the  work  of  God. 

Second;  there  is  to  be  a  gathering  to  the 
land  of  Palestine,  so  as  to  turn  Lebanon 
into  a  fruitful  field. 

Third;  there  is  to  be  great  miraculous 
power  displayed  on  earth,  and  spiritual  gifts 
given  unto  the  children  of  men;  insomuch 
that  the  deaf  will  be  made  to  hear,  and  the 
blind  to  see,  while  the  meek  increase  and  the 
poor  rejoice  in  the  Holy  one  of  Israel. 

Fourth;  there  are  to  be  those  who  oppress 
the  poor  and  persecute  the  meek — called  ter- 


72  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

rible  ones, — and  scorners,  those  who  despise 
and  scoff  at  those  that  are  good:  also  there 
will  be  those  that  watch  for  iniquity,  and  that 
will  make  a  man  an  offender  for  a  word,  and 
lay  a  snare  for  him  that  reproveth  in  the 
gate  and  that  turn  aside  the  just  for  a  thing 
of  nought;  and  these  shall  all  be  brought  to 
nought,  consumed  and  cut  off,  insomuch  that 
the  fruitful  field  will  be  esteemed  as  a  forest. 

Fifith ;  the  whole  house  of  Israel,  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  Jacob,  being  gathered  together,  and 
Jacob  in  their  midst,  shall  sanctify  the  Holy 
One  of  Jacob,  and  fear  the  God  of  Israel. 
And  they  also  that  erred  in  spirit  shall  come 
to  understanding,  and  they  that  murmured 
shall  learn  doctrine. 

All  these  different  events  which  are  here 
merely  sketched,  are  dwelt  upon  at  large  in 
different  parts  of  the  prophecies.  But  you 
ask,  how  are  these  events  to  be  brought  about 
by  the  coming  forth  of  this  Book  ?  I  answer; 
when  God  takes  this  Book,  (the  stick  of  Jo¬ 
seph,)  and  puts  it  with  the  stick  of  Judah, 
(the  Bible,)  as  I  have  stated  above;  this  be¬ 
ing  the  sign  set  among  the  nations,  (Isaiah 
66th  chapt.  19th  verse,)  and  the  ensign  lifted 
on  the  mountains,  (Isa.  18th  chapt.  3d  verse,) 
and  set  up  for  the  nations,  (Isaiah  1 1th  chapt. 
12th  verse.)  He  will  then  commission  offi¬ 
cers  to  bear  this  ensign  to  the  nations,  and 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


78 


to  show  forth  this  sign  among  the  people. 
These  officers  being  the  fishers  and  hunters 
of  Israel,  (Isaiah  19th  chapt.  16th  verse,) 
and  having  escaped  (the  corruptions  that  are 
in  the  world  through  lust )  go  to  the  nations 
bearing  this  ensign,  even  to  Tarshish,  Pul, 
and  Lud,  that  draw  the  bow;  to  Tubal  and  Ja¬ 
van,  and  to  the  Isles  afar  off,  that  have  not 
heard  of  God’s  fame,  neither  seen  his  glory, 
to  declare  his  glory  among  the  gentiles;  and 
being  officers  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  com¬ 
missioned  from  on  high,  they  will  disclaim 
all  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works  of 
darkness — the  commandments  and  precepts 
of  men — but  rather  reprove  them.  Calling 
on  all  men  to  repent  and  believe  the  gospel: 
baptising,  or  administering  the  ordinances  of 
adoption,  to  all  that  believe,  and  thus  trans¬ 
lating  them  from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  in¬ 
to  the  kingdom  of  God’s  dear  Son;  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  being  mightily  poured  out  upon 
them,  the  deaf  are  made  to  hear  and  the  blind 
to  see,  they  that  erred  in  spirit  come  to  under¬ 
standing,  and  they  that  murmured  learn  doc¬ 
trine.  While  at  the  same  time,  the  Priests 
of  the  different  sects  of  religion,  who  preach 
for  hire  and  divine  for  money,  and  all  that 
love  darkness  rather  than  light  because  their 
deeds  are  evil,  cry  out,  saying,  surely  your 
turning  of  things  upside  down  shall  be  es- 


74 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


teemed  as  the  potter's  clay.  And  thus  they 
predict  the  overthrow  and  downfall  of  the 
work  of  the  Lord,  while  their  works  are  in 
the  dark;  and  they  say,  who  seeth  us,  and 
who  knoweth  us.  And  they  oppress  the  poor 
and  persecute  the  meek  and  those  that  fear 
God  and  keep  his  commandments,  despising 
and  scoffing  at  them,  watching  them  for  in¬ 
iquity,  making  them  offenders  for  a  word, 
and  laying  snares  for  these  officers  who  re¬ 
prove  them  for  their  wickedness,  and  they 
turn  aside  the  just  for  a  thing  of  nought. 

All  this  while  the  Jews  are  gathering  to 
Jerusalem  to  rebuild  their  city  and  temple, 
and  turn  Lebanon  into  a  fruitful  field.  And 
these  officers,  after  finishing  their  work  of 
fishing  the  children  of  Israel  from  among  the 
gentiles,  or  out  of  the  cold  streams  of  spiritu¬ 
al  Babylon. 

They  commence  their  mission  of  hunting 
them  among  the  mountains,  and  hills,  and 
rocks,  and  more  rugged  parts  of  the  earth 
which  have  not  been  settled  and  cultivated  by 
civilized  nations.  And  while  thev  are  thus 
ranging  the  mountains  and  the  hills,  and 
clambering  over  the  rocky  steeps  in  search 
of  Israel,  God  will  pour  out  his  judgements 
upon  the  gentile  nations,  and  scorge  them  for 
their  wickedness  until  the  Lord  shall  come  in 
the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  bring  to  nought 


I 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 

the  terrible  one  that  oppressed  the  poor  and. 
persecuted  the  meek,  and  consume  the  scorn- 
er  that  despised  and  scoffed  at  the  people  of 
God;  and  cut  off  and  destroy  all  that  watched 
for  iniquity,  and  made  a  man  an  offender  for 
a  word  and  laid  snares  for  his  servants,  and 
turned  aside  the  just  for  a  thing  of  nought. 
And  thus  will  God  make  the  fruitful  field  to 
be  esteemed  as  a  forest;  and  when  these  of¬ 
ficers  shall  have  finished  their  hunt  among 
the  mountains,  hills  and  rocks,  and  have 
gathered  up  all  the  remnants  of  Israel,  they 
will  bring  them  as  an  offering  unto  the  Lord 
out  of  all  nations,  upon  horses  and  in  char¬ 
iots,  and  in  litters,  and  upon  mules,  and  up¬ 
on  swift  beasts  to  Gods  holy  mountain  where 
they  will  sanctify  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
sanctify  the  Holy  one  of  Jacob  and  fear  the 
God  of  Israel;  while  at  the  same  time  the 
Lord  will  come  with  ten  thousand  of  his 
saints,  ( and  Jacob  among  the  rest  to  stand  in 
the  midst  of  his  children,  while  they  sanctify 
the  name  of  their  God  and  fear  him,J  to  ex¬ 
ecute  judgment  upon  the  ungodly  and  cut 
them  off  and  consume  them  as  stubble.  And 
to  place  his  sanctuary  in  the  midst  of  Israel 
forever  more,  and  to  divide  the  earth  for  an 
inheritance  unto  the  meek,  while  Satan  is 
bound  and  cast  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and 
shut  up,  and  a  seal  placed  upon  him  that  he 


76 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


shall  not  deceive  the  nations  any  more  until 
the  thousand  years  shall  be  finished.  And 
the  Spirit  of  God  being  poured  out  upon  all 
flesh  the  enmity  will  be  destroyed,  and  the 
Wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  Lamb,  and  the 
Leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  Kid,  and 
the  Calf  and  the  young  Lion  and  the  fatling 
together,  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them; 
the  cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed,  their  young 
ones  shall  lie  down  together,  and  the  Lion 
shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox;  and  the  sucking 
child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and 
the  weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand  upon  the 
cockatrice’s  den.  They  shall  not  hurt  nor  de¬ 
stroy  in  all  God’s  holy  mountain,  for  the 
earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 

We  next  come  to  enquire  when  shall  these 
things  be?  and  what  signs  will  there  be  when 
these  things  are  about  to  come  to  pass,  that, 
God  is  to  bring  forth  this  Book,  and  all  these 
mighty  events  are  to  follow  it? 

The  Apostle  Paul  has  told  us  when  these 
things  shall  be,  in  the  11th  chapt.  25th  verse 
of  his  epistle  to  the  Romans.  He  says,  “I 
would  not,  brethren,  that  ye  should  be  ignor¬ 
ant  of  this  mystery,  lest  ye  should  be  wise  in 
your  own  conceits;  that  blindness  in  part  is 
happened  to  Israel,  until  the  fullness  of  the 
Gentiles  be  come  in;  and  so  all  Israel  shall 


BOOK  OF  MbltMON. 


77 


be  saved:  as  it  is  written,  There  shall  come 
out  of  Zion  the  Deliverer,  and  shall  turn 
away  ungodliness  from  Jacob,  for  this  is  my 
covenant  unto  them  when  I  shall  take  away 
their  sins.” 

Now  from  this  quotation  we  learn,  that 
these  things  will  take  place  when  the  fullness 
of  the  Gentiles  is  come  in;  for  then  the  de¬ 
liverer  will  come  out  of  Zion,  and  turn  away 
ungodliness  from  Jacob;  for  this  is  his  cove¬ 
nant  unto  them  when  he  takes  away  their 
sins.  (Or  this  is  the  w~ay,  he  will  make  a 
covenant  with  them,  and  take  away  their 
sins.)  Now,  a  covenant  is  a  bargain  be¬ 
tween  parties,  and  God  says  in  this  quotation 
that  he  will  make  a  bargain  with  all  Israel, 
( when  the  fullness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come 
in, )  and  take  away  their  sins,  and  save  them. 
And  that  this  bargain  shall  be  made  with 
them  through  the  agency  of  the  Deliverer 
coming  out  of  Zion.  But  who,  or  what,  is 
this  Deliverer?  I  answer,  it  is  the  Priest¬ 
hood,  and  authority  of  Jesus  Christ  confer¬ 
red  upon  the  officers  of  the  Church  or  King¬ 
dom  of  God  in  the  last  days;  these  are  the 
fishers  vffio  are  to  fish  the  children  of  Israel 
from  among  the  gentiles;  these  are  the  hun¬ 
ters  who  are  to  hunt  them  from  every  moun¬ 
tain  and  from  every  hill,  and  out  of  the 
holes  of  the  rocks;  and  these  are  the  men 


78 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


who  have  escaped  the  corruptions  that  aro 
in  the  world  through  lust,  and  God  will  send 
them  to  the  nations,  to  Tarshish,  Pul  and 
Lud,  that  draw  the  bow,  to  Tubal,  and  Javan, 
and  to  the  Isles  afar  off;  that  have  not  heard  of 
his  fame,  neither  seen  his  glory;  and  they 
shall  declare  his  glory  among  the  gentiles. 
And  then  after  having  turned  away  ungodli¬ 
ness  from  Jacob  by  recieviner  them  into  cove- 

J  o 

nent  with  the  Lord,  and  adopting  them  into 
his  Kingdom,  they  will  bring  all  the  children 
of  Israel  for  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  out 
of  all  nations,  upon  horses,  and  in  chariots, 
and  in  litters,  and  upon  mules,  and  upon 
swift  beasts  unto  their  own  land.  And  all 
these  things  will  they  do  by  virtue  of  the  au¬ 
thority  of  the  priesthood  of  Jesus  Christ,  con¬ 
ferred  on  them  for  this  very  purpose.  And 
this  is  the  Deliverer  come  out  of  Zion  to  turn 
away  ungodliness  from  Jacob;  and  this  is  to 
take  place  when  the  fullness  of  the  gentiles 
be  come  in. 

But  how  shall  we  know'  when  their  full¬ 
ness  has  come  in?  The  saviour  has  told  us 
in  the  21st  chapt.  of  Luke,  after  speaking  of 
the  destruction  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  and 
of  the  events  and  signs  which  were  to  pre¬ 
cede  it,  he  says,  “And  Jerusalem  shall  be 
trodden  down  of  the  gentiles,  until  the  times 
of  the  gentiles  be  fulfilled,'**  Now,  from  this 


BOOK  OP  MORMON. 


79 


we  learn,  that  when  the  times  of  the  gentiles 
is  fulfilled,  (or  the  fullness  of  the  gentiles  is 
come  in,  which  are  synonymous  in  their  mean¬ 
ing,)  Jerusalem  will  no  longer  be  trodden 
down  of  the  gentiles.  But  the  Saviour  pro¬ 
ceeds  and  speaks  of  other  signs,  by  which  all 
men  might  know  when  these  things  were 
about  to  take  place.  He  says,  “And  there 
shall  be  signs  in  the  Sun  and  in  the  Moon, 
and  in  the  stars;  and  upon  the  earth,  distress 
of  nations,  with  perplexity;  the  sea  and  the 
waves  roaring,  men’s  hearts  failing  them  for 
fear,  and  for  looking  after  those  things  which 
are  coming  on  the  earth,  for  tho  powers  of 
heaven  shall  be  shaken.  And  then  shall  they 
see  the  Son  of  Man  coming  in  a  cloud  with 
power  and  great  glory;  and  when  these 
things  begin  to  come  to  pass,  then  look  up 
and  lift  up  your  heads  for  your  redemption 
draweth  nigh.  And  he  spake  to  them  a  par¬ 
able,  “Behold  the  fig-tree,  and  all  the  trees, 
when  they  now  shoot  forth,  ye  see  and  know 
of  your  own  selves  that  summer  is  now  nigh 
at  hand.  So  likewise  ye,  when  ye  see  these 
things  come  to  pass,  know  ye  that  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God  is  nigh  at  hand.  Verily  1  say 
unto  you,  this  generation  shall  not  pass  away 
till  all  be  fulfilled/”  But  what  generation 
shall  not  pass  away  till  all  be  fulfilled  ?  I 
answer.  The  generation  of  which  he  was 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  TIIE 


m 

then  speaking — the  generation  that  should 
see  the  things  begin  to  come  to  pass,  of  which 
he  had  just  been  speaking — the  generation 
that  shall  see  the  signs  in  the  sun,  and  in  the 
moon,  and  in  the  stars,  should  not  pass  away 
till  all  should  be  fulfilled.  “Heaven  and 
earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  word  shall  not 
pass  away.” 

Now,  the  Saviour  has  told  us  in  the  above 
quotation,  that  when  we  see  the  signs  spoken 
of  above,  viz:  signs  in  the  sun,  moon  and 
stars,  and  upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations 
with  perplexity,  the  sea  and  waves  roaring, 
men’s  hearts  failing  them  for  fear,  and  for 
looking  after  those  things  which  are  coming 
on  the  earth,  together  with  Jerusalem  no  lon¬ 
ger  trodden  down  of  the  gentiles,  but  the  Jews 
returning  there  and  rebuilding  their  city* 
upon  her  own  heap.  When  we  see  these 
things  come  to  pass,  we  may  know  that  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  nigh  at  hand,  with  as 
much  certainty  as  we  know  that  summer  is 
nigh  when  we  see  the  trees  begin  to  leave 
out. 

But  what  is  the  kingdom  of  God?  1  an¬ 
swer.  It  is  God’s  organized  government  on 
earth.  Now,  this  kingdom  was  given  to  Is¬ 
rael  in  the  days  of  Moses.  See  Exodus  19th 

•/ 

chapt.  6th  verse.  And  it  continued  with  the 
Jewish  nation  until  Christ,  but  they  did  not 


BOOK  OF  MORMON,  81 

brings  forth  the  fruits;  therefore  it  could  not 
be  called  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  while  it  re? 
raained  with  them;  but  it  was  the  kingdom 
of  God  for  it  was  his  organized  government. 
Now,  John  preached  to  the  Jews,  saying, 
“Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at 
hand.”  That  is,  the  spiritual  and  heavenly 
part  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  is  at  hand;  there¬ 
fore,  repent,  that  ye  may  receive  it.  The 
Saviour  preached  the  same,  and  he  sent  out 
his  disciples  and  commanded  them  to  preach 
the  same  also;  saying,  repent,  for  the  king¬ 
dom  of  Heaven  is  at  hand.  But  they  would 
not  repent.  Jesus,  therefore,  after  putting 
forth  a  parable  to  them,  representing  that 
they  had  possessed  the  kingdom  for  a  long 
time,  as  a  nation,  and  God  had  sent  prophets 
to  them,  calling  upon  them  to  repent  and 
bring  forth  the  fruits  of  the  kingdom,  but  they 
had  stoned  and  killed  them  all,  and  at  last 
God  had  sent,  his  Son,  and  they  sought  his 
life.  Therefore,  says  Christ,  “The  king¬ 
dom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you  and 
given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits 
thereof.”  See  Math.  21st  chapt.  43rd  verse. 
The  kingdom  of  God  was  then  taken  from 
the  Jews  and  give  to  the  gentiles,  and  they 
not  only  received  it,  but  for  a  while  brought 
forth  the  fruit.  Now,  the  fruit,  of  this  king¬ 
dom  was  the  signs  Jesus  said  should  follow 


82  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

/ 

them  that  believe.  Mark  16th  chapt.  17th 
and  18th  verses.  And  the  spiritual  gifts  spok¬ 
en  of  in  1st  Corinthians  12th  chapt.  But 
finally,  they  not  only  ceased  to  bring  forth 
the  fruits,  but  also  distroyed  the  organization 
of  the  kingdom  by  killing  the  officers,  trans¬ 
gressing  the  laws  and  changing  the  ordinan¬ 
ces;  and  then  the  kingdom  of  God  ceased  to 
exist  on  the  earth.  The  gentiles  however, 
organized  a  new  kingdom,  commissioned  new 
officers,  and  made  new  laws,  and  instituted 
new  ordinances;  and  this  they  called  the 
kingdom  of  God.  But  it  never  produced  any 
of  the  fruit  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  neither 
did  it  ever  have  any  of  the  officers  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  Now,  the  officers  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  are  as  follows,  viz:  Apos¬ 
tles,  Prophets,  Evangelists,  Pastors  and  Tea¬ 
chers,  all  commissioned  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
king  of  this  kingdom,  and  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.  The  laws  of  this  kingdom  are 
whatsoever  Christ  the  king  commands.  The 
ordinances  are  baptism  for  the  remission  of 
sins,  and  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  re¬ 
ception  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  See  Ephesians 
4th chapt.  11th  verse;  also,  Math.  28th  chapt. 
20th  verse;  also,  Acts  8th  chapt.  14th,  15th, 
16th  and  17th  verses.  The  kingdom  of  God 
therefore,  having  fled  from  the  earth,  and 
the  Saviour  seeing  this  beforehand  spake  of 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


S3 


its  return,  saying,  “When  ye  shall  see  these 
things  come  to  pass,  know  ye,  that  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God  is  nigh  at  hand.”  He  also  said, 
that,  in  the  same  generation  that  these  things 
should  begin  to  come  to  pass,  all  should  be 
fulfilled. 

We  will,  therefore,  next  enquire  if  any  of 
these  things  have  come  to  pass  in  this  gen¬ 
eration?  for  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
that  we  should  know,  and  not  be  deceived  in 
this  matter — because  in  one  short  generation 
the  children  of  Israel  is  not  only  to  be  gath¬ 
ered  from  all  nations  unto  their  own  land, 
and  the  kingdom  of  God  return  to  the  earth, 
but  Jesus  Christ  is  also  to  come  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven  with  power  and  great  glory.  And 
he  says  that  he  will  come  “as  a  snare  upon  all 
them  that  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth.”  And  he  warns  us  saying,  “Take 
heed  to  yourselves,  lest  at  any  time  your 
hearts  be  overcharged  with  surfeiting  and 
drunkenness,  and  cares  of  this  life,  and  so 
that  day  come  upon  you  unawares.”  And 
he  commands  us  to  “Watch  and  pray  always 
that  we  may  be  accounted  worthy  to  escape 
all  these  things,  and  to  stand  before  the  Son 
of  Man.”  But  what  shall  we  watch  for?  I 
answer.  For  the  signs  by  which  we  are  to 
know  the  generation  in  which  all  these  things 
are  to  be  fulfilled,  that  we  may  be  prepared 


84 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


for  them;  and  not  be  found  fighting  Against 
God. 

The  prophet  Joel  also,  has  spoken  of  some 
of  the  signs  by  which  we  can  know  the  time 
w’hen  these  things  are  about  to  come  to  pass. 
He  says,  2nd  chapt.  30th  verse,  “And  1  will 
show  wonders  in  the  heavens  and  in  the 
earth;  blood,  and  fire,  and  pillars  of  smoke; 
the  sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness  and  the 
moon  into  blood,  before  the  great  and  terri¬ 
ble  day  of  the  Lord  come.  And  it  shall  come 
to  pass  that  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  shall  be  delivered:  for  in  Mount 
Zion  and  in  Jerusalem  shall  be  deliverance, 
as  the  Lord  hath  said,  and  in  the  remnant 
whom  the  Lord  shall  call.”  Now  we  begin 
to  understand  what  the  Saviour  means  when 
he  commands  us  to  watch  and  pray  always. 
W e  are  to  watch  for  these  signs  that  we  may 
know  wThen  the  generation  has  come, in  which 
these  things  are  to  take  place;  and  then  we 
are  to  pray  always,  for  whosoever  calls  on 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  shall  be  delivered  by 
fleeing  to  Zion  or  Jerusalem,  for  in  both  pla¬ 
ces  there  is  to  be  deliverance,  as  the  Lord 
hath  said,  &c.  Now  let  us  obey  this  com- 
tnand  of  the  Saviour,  and  look  back  and  see 
if  any  of  these  things  have  come  to  pass  in 
this  generation. 

The  first  signs  the  Saviour  speaks  of,  were 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


85 


io  be  in  the  sun.-  Now,  all  these  signs  must 
be  visible  to  the  natural  eye,  or  they  would 
be  no  signs  at  all.  Now,  in  tracing  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  world  from  the  Crucifixion  of 
Christ  down  to  A.  D.  1816,  there  was  not  a 
sign  seen  in  the  sun  in  all  that  time;  therefore 
when  the  Saviour  said  there  shall  be  signs  in 
the  sun,  he  spake  of  signs  that  no  future  gen¬ 
eration  should  see  except  the  one  that  should 
witness  his  second  advent,  that  all  men  might 
know  when  they  see  the  signs  in  the  sun, 
that  Christ  would  come  in  that  generation, 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  power  and  great 
glory,  &c.  In  A.  D.  1816  the  signs  were 
seen  in  the  sun,  and  were  visible  to  the  nat¬ 
ural  eye  of  all  men  for  months;  and  they 
have  been  seen  since  but  not  so  plain.  Since 
then  there  have  been  great  signs  in  the  moon 
also,  and  in  the  stars — particularly  on  the 
night  of  the  12th  of  Nov.  1833,  when  the 
whole  starry  host  seemed  to  be  moving  out 
of  their  places  at  once.  And  this  continued 
almost  the  whole  night.  There  have  also 
been  seen  wonders  in  the  heavens,  blood,  and 
fire,  and  pillars  of  smoke;  also  on  the  earth 
there  has  been  distress  of  nations  with  per¬ 
plexity;  the  sea  and  waves  roaring.  The 
Paris  Temps  published  an  account  from  Pon¬ 
dicherry  of  the  22nd  January  last,  and  from 
Yanaori  a  French  factory,  (about  250  miles 


96 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


along  the  coast  from  that  city,)  up  to  the  7th 
of  December,  which  gives  numerous  details 
of  a  dreadful  hurricane  and  inundation  of  the 
sea  on  that  coast.  Upwards  of  ten  thousand 
corpses  had  been  found,  and  many  thousands 
( more  had  no  doubt  been  washed  away.  This 
account  states,  that  such  a  hurricane  and  in¬ 
road  of  the  sea  was  never  known  before  in 
that  country.  And  here  in  our  own  country, 
the  city  of  Natchez  has  been  almost  entirely 
destroyed  by  a  hurricane;  and  there  have 
been  great  earthquakes  in  various  parts  of 
the  earth,  and  pestilences  such  as  were  never 
known  before,  have  raged  among  the  nations 
in  this  generation;  and  surely  they  have 
been  and  are  still  in  distress  and  in  perplex¬ 
ity.  And  men’s  hearts  are  failing  them  for 
fear,  and  for  looking  after  those  things  w  hich 
are  coming  on  the  earth. 

Now,  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  most 
of  people  are  looking  for  and  expecting  some 
great  overturn  soon  to  take  place,  and  they 
are  afraid.  Their  hearts  fail  them  for  fear. 
And  why  this  fear?  Because  they  are  not 
in  the  kingdom  of  God  but  are  clinging  to 
this  world,  making  a  God  of  it,  and  they  are 
afraid  it  will  be  taken  from  them,  and  surely 
it  will,  if  they  do  not  repent  and  become  citi¬ 
zens  of  God’s  kingdom,  calling  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord  that  they  may  be  delivered  in 


BOOK  OP  MORMON. 


87 


Mount  Zion,  for  the  kingdom  and  dominion, 
and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the 
whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  people 
of  the  saints  of  the  most  high  God;  whose 
kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  his 
dominion  that  which  shall  not  pass  away. 
And  all  dominions  shall  serve  and  obey  him. 
See  Dan.  7th  chapt.  27th  verse. 

But  if  these  things  have  been  taking  place 
ever  since  1816,  (as  the  kingdom  of  God  was 
to  be  nigh  at  hand  and  the  redemption  of 
Israel  drawing  nigh,  when  these  things  should 
begin  to  come  to  pass,)  we  must  not  now  be 
looking  for  the  kingdom  of  God  to  come,  but 
must  search  it  out  as  having  already  come, 
and  been  organized  here  on  earth  among 
men  since  the  year  1816,  the  time  when  these 
things  began  to  come  to  pass.  Also  we  may 
look  for  Jerusalem  already  to  have  been  re¬ 
deemed  and  no  longer  trodden  down  of  the 
gentiles,  their  times  having  been  fulfilled  and 
many  of  the  Jews  already  returned  to  in¬ 
herit  their  own  land  in  peace.  And  thus 
we  may  consider  the  gathering  of  Israel  as 
having  already  commenced.  Now  if  the 
kingdom  of  God  has  come,  we  shall  not  be 
troubled  much  to  find  it  when  we  begin  to 
seek  for  it,  because  it  is  so  unlike  all  other 
kingdoms  or  systems  organized  among  men 
under  the  name  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  that 


$8 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


no  man  when  he  sees  both  can  mistake  the  one 
for  the  other.  Now  mark,  reader,  the  officers 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  we  have  already 
learned  above,  are  Apostles,  Prophets,  Evan¬ 
gelists,  Pastors  and  Teachers,  all  commission¬ 
ed  by  Christ  the  king,  and  inspired  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Now,  it  would  be  impossible  for  him 
to  commission  these  officers  without  giving 
them  revelation;  hence  the  falsity  of  saying 
there  is  to  be  no  more  revelation.  Again; 
the  citiizens  of  this  kingdom  are  to  have  the 
Holy  Ghost  given  unto  them  through  the  lay¬ 
ing  on  of  the  hands  of  the  officers,  insomuch 
that  they  shall  speak  with  tongues  and  proph¬ 
esy:  Acts  19th  chapt.  6th  verse:  as  well  as 
to  possess  all  the  miraculous  signs  and  spir¬ 
itual  gifts  promised  in  the  New  Testament. 
The  Apostle  Paul  in  his  1st  epistle  to  the 
Corinthians  12th  chapt.  28th  verse,  innumer- 
ates  the  gifts  and  officers,  and  speaks  of 
the  order  of  the  church  or  kingdom  of  God 
as  follows:  Pie  says,  “And  God  hath  set 
some  in  the  Church,  first  Apostles;  secondly 
Prophets;  thirdly  Teachers:  after  that,  mir¬ 
acles;  then  gifts  of  healing;  helps  in  gov¬ 
ernments  and  diversities  of  tongues.”  Now 
reader,  if  there  is  a  church  or  kingdom  to  be 
found  organized  among  men,  which  possess¬ 
es  the  above  gifts  and  officers,  that  is'the  king¬ 
dom  of  God;  and  if  there  is  such  a  church  or 


BOOK  OF  MORMON.  69 

•  j  •  » 

kingdom  on  earth  it  has  been  organized  and 
established  by  Jesus  Christ  since  1816,  when 
the  signs  were  first  seen  in  the  sun;  and  con¬ 
sequently  a  new  revelation  has  been  given  to 
men  on  the  earth  since  that  time,  commis¬ 
sioning  them  as  officers  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  to  declare  God’s  glory  among  the  gen¬ 
tiles,  and  to  fish  the  children  of  Israel  and 
hunt  them  from  the  mountains  and  from  the 
hills,  and  out  of  the  holes  of  the  rocks  and 
bring  them  to  their  own  land  for  an  offering 
unto  the  Lord  out  of  all  nations. 

•  j  •• 

But  if  this  work  has  commenced  and  these 
officers  have  been  actually  commissioned 
and  sent  to  declare  God’s  glory  among  the 
gentiles  and  to  bring  Israel  to  their  own  lands, 
then  God  has  set  a  sign  among  them,  for  this 
he  was  to  do  before  he  sent  any  body  on 
this  mission.  Also  he  hath  set  up  an  ensign 
for  the  nations,  for  this  he  was  to  do  before 
he  assembled  the  outcasts  of  Israel, or  gather¬ 
ed  the  dispersed  of  Judah.  Also  he  has  taken 
the  stick  of  Joseph  and  put  it  with  the  stick 
of  Judah  and  made  them  one  stick  in  his 
hand,  for  this  he  was  to  do  before  he  would 
take  the  children  of  Israel  from  among  the 
heathen  whither  they  be  gone.  Again  he 
has  brought  forth  a  book  the  words  of  which 
have  been  carried  to  the  learned  who  could 
not  read  them,  for  this  he  was  tod  o  before 


90 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


he  began  to  work  his  marvellous  work  and 
wonder  among  the  people — when  he  would 
make  the  blind  to  see  and  the  deaf  to  hear. 
Therefore,  if  this  sign  has  not  been  set  among 
the  people — if  this  ensign  has  not  been  set 
up  for  the  nations — if  the  stick  of  Joseph  has 
not  been  taken  and  put  with  the  stick  of  Ju¬ 
dah — and  if  the  words  of  the  Book  have  not 
been  carried  to  the  learned — then  we  may 
look  in  vain  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the 
earth;  for  it  was  not  to  come  until  God  first 
sets  a  sign  among  them,  or  sets  up  an  ensign 
for  the  nations  to  be  borne  by  the  officers  of 
the  Kingdom,  by  which  all  men  might  know 
that  they  were  officers  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  Now  this  sign,  ensign,  sticks  and  book, 
I  have  proven  in  a  former  part  of  this  work, 
referred  to  one  and  the  same  thing, viz:  To  a 
book  or  record  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph  taken 
by  the  Lord’s  commandment  out  of  the 
ground  in  America  and  put  with  the  bible  by 
publishing  it  to  the  nations  as  the  bible  was 
before  it.  Now  if  such  a  book  has  come 
forth,  then  the  Kingdom  of  God  has  come 
forth,  for  God  has  commissioned  officers  to 
bear  it  forth  as  an  ensign  (in  connection  with 
the  bible)  to  the  nations,  and  to  hunt  Israel 
and  fish  them  and  bring  them  home  to  their 
own  land.  We  will  therefore  next  enquire, 
has  there  such  a  book  made  its  appearance 


BOOS  OF  MORMON. 


91 


in  this  generation.  I  answer,  there  has,  and 
it  is  called  the  “Book  of  Mormon.”  We 
will  now  enter  into  an  examination  of  this 
book  and  see  if  it  bears  the  description  the 
prophets  have  given.  If  so,  we  must  receive 
it,  believe  and  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of 
which  this  is  the  ensign.  First,  then,  in  the 
record  of  Ether  contained  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  we  have  a  historical  sketch  of  a 
wealthy  nation  who  once  dwelt  alone  upon 
this  land  but  were  all  destroyed  somewhere 
about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ.  This 
account  says,  that  when  the  Lord  confounded 
the  languages  of  the  people  at  the  Tower  of 
Babel,  one  Jared  and  his  brother  cried  unto 
God  that  he  would  not  confound  their  lan¬ 
guages  so  but  what  they  could  understand 
each  other.  Also,  that  their  particular 
friends  and  relatives  might  not  be  confoun¬ 
ded.  And  the  Lord  heard  their  cry  and 
they  were  not  confounded.  And  God  di¬ 
rected  their  course  unto  this  land,  telling 
them  it  was  a  choice  land  above  all  other 
lands.  It  had  then  been  uninhabited  ever 
since  the  flood,  and  was  secluded  from  the 
knowledge  of  all  the  human  race  save  these 
few  families.  Therefore  being  alone  and 
possessing  the  knowledge  of  minerology, 
agriculture  and  architecture  to  some  extent, 
they  began  their  empire,  and  in  a  few  gen- 


92 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


erations  became  a  wealthy  nation.  And  they 
dwelt  without  care,  having  neither  gates  nor 
bars,  for  no  other  nation  knew  of  their  ex- 
istance;  but  God  had  told  them  in  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  their  settlement  if  they  did  not  serve 
him  and  keep  his  commandments  they  should 
be  destroyed  from  off  the  land,  for  said  he, 
no  nation  shall  possess  this  land  who  will  not 
serve  the  God  of  the  land,  whose  name  in 
the  english  language  is  Jesus  Christ — and 
when  they  become  fully  ripened  in  iniquity 
they  shall  perish.  According  to  this'  record 
this  people  becoming  lifted  up  in  pride  be¬ 
cause  of  their  wealth,  and  careless  and  indif¬ 
ferent  about  keeping  the  commandments  of 
God,  because  of  their  ease  and  affluence, and 
thus  neglecting  to  serve  and  adore  that  God 
who  had  brought  their  fathers  to  this  land 
and  blessed  them  so  abundantly  upon  it — * 
therefore  the  Lord  withdrew  his  spirit  from 
them,  and  they  became  divided,  and  a  civil 
war  broke  out  among  them  which  ended  in 
the  entire  destruction  of  the  nation,  inso¬ 
much  that  but  one  individual  was  left  alive 
in  all  this  land,  except  the  Prophet,  who 
wrote  this  account,  and  this  one  individual 
was  Coreantumr  the  king,  and  he  lived  to 
see  the  land  possessed  by  another  people, 
and  thus  God  brought  their  calamity  from  all 
sides  thereof  and  left  the  land  without  inhab- 


BOOK  OF  MORMON.  93 

itants,  while  their  cattle  &c.  remained  for  a 
spoil  to  those  who  should  after  inherit  the 
land.  This  then  is  the  wealthy  nation  spo¬ 
ken  of  in  the  49th  chapter  of  Jeremiah  which 
dwelt  afar  off  from  Jerusalem  without  care 
and  alone,  having  neither  gates  nor  bars, 
unto  whom  the  inhabitants  of  Hazor  were 
commanded  to  arise  and  go,  with  the  promise 
of  their  cattle  for  a  spoil,  &c.  Again,  this 
is  the  nation  who  built  the  city  of  Otelem, 
the  ruins  of  which  have  been  found  in  Cen¬ 
tral  America,  of  no  less  dimensions  than 
seventy-five  miles  in  circuit — length  thirty- 
two,  and  breadth  twelve  miles — a  description 
of  which  I  have  given  in  a  former  part  of 
this  work.  The  following  is  the  account  of 
the  building  of  that  city,  by  this  wealthy  na¬ 
tion,  contained  in  the  record  of  Ether  Book 
of  Mormon,  page  590,  second  edition:  And 
they  built  a  great  city  by  the  narrow  neck 
of  land,  by  the  place  where  the  sea  divides 
the  land.  And  they  did  preserve  the  land 
southward  for  a  wilderness  to  get  game. — 
And  the  whole  face  of  the  land  northward 
was  covered  with  inhabitants;  and  they  were 
exceeding  industrious,  and  they  did  buy  and 
sell,  and  traffic  one  with  another,  that  they 
might  get  gain.  And  they  did  work  in  all 
manner  of  ore,  and  they  did  make  gold  and 
silver,  and  iron,  and  brass,  and  all  manner 


u 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


cf  metals;  and  they  did  dig  it  out  of  the 
earth;  wherefore  they  did  cast  up  mighty 
heaps  of  earth  to  get  ore  of  gold,  and  silver, 
and  of  iron  and  of  copper;  and  they  did 
work  all  manner  of  fine  work.  And  they 
did  have  silks  and  fine  twined  linen;  and 
they  did  work  all  manner  of  cloth,  that  they 
might  clothe  themselves  from  their  naked¬ 
ness.  And  they  did  make  all  manner  of 
tools  to  till  the  earth  both  to  plough  and  to 
sow,  to  reap  and  to  hoe,  and  also  to  thresh. 
And  they  did  make  all  manner  of  tools  with 
which  they  did  work  their  beasts.  And  they 
did  make  all  manner  of  weapons  of  war.  And 
they  did  make  all  manner  of  work  of  ex¬ 
ceeding  curious  workmanship.  And  never 
could  be  a  people  more  blessed  than  were 
they,  and  were  prospered  by  the  hand  of  the 
Lord.  And  they  were  in  a  land  that  was 
choice  above  all  lands,  for  the  Lord  had 
spoken  it.  Again  these  are  the  people  of 
which  the  Indian  tribes  inhabiting  Mexico 
have  a  tradition  that  at  the  confusion  of  lan¬ 
guages  fifteen  heads  of  families  were  permit¬ 
ted  to  speak  the  same  language,  who  em¬ 
bodied  themselves  and  came  to  this  country; 
the  particulars  of  this  tradition  I  have  given 
in  a  former  part  of  this  work,  and  the  main 
features  of  it  agrees  with  the  history  of  this 
people,  contained  in  the  forepart  of  the  re- 


BOOK  OF  MORMON* 


90 


cord  of  Ether  in  the  Book  of  Mormon.-*- 
Again,  the  Book  of  Mormon  gives  an  ac¬ 
count  of  a  remnant  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph 
who  left  Judea  by  God’s  commandment  in 
the  days  of  Jeremiah  the  Prophet,  just  before 
the  Babelonish  captivity  of  the  Jewish  na¬ 
tion  by  Nebuchadrezzar,  and  went  in  to  the 
borders  of  the  wilderness  near  the  shore  of 
the  red  sea,  taking  with  them  the  books  of 
the  Prophets  and  of  Moses  engraven  upon 
brass  plates;  and  after  wandering  in  the 
wilderness  for  the  space  of  eight  years,  they 
came  to  the  sea  which  they  called  Irreantum, 
which  being  interpreted  is,  many  waters;  the 
same  I  presume  that  is  now  called  the  Ara¬ 
bian  sea.  There  they  built  a  ship  accor¬ 
ding  to  the  instructions  which  God  gave 
them,  in  which  they  crossed  the  ocean  unto 
this  land,  which  they  called  the  promised 
land,  it  having  been  conferred  upon  Joseph 
their  forefather,  by  promise.  They  landed 
in  South  America  and  commenced  their  set¬ 
tlement.  They  found  cattle  and  beasts  of 
every  kind  in  the  wilderness — their  leaders 
and  rulers  being  prophets,  they  had  the  light 
of  God’s  revelations  which  constituted  them 
Ariel  or  the  lion  of  God,  and  they  were  of 
Jerusalem,  the  city  where  David  dwelt,  that 
is,  came  out  from  Jerusalem. 

These  then  are  the  people  spoken  of 


96  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

in  the  29th  chapt.  of  Isaiah,  called  Ari¬ 
el,  that  is  the  Lion  of  God.  Again,  these 
are  the  branches  or  plants  of  Heshbon 
and  Sibmah  which  wandered  through  the 
wilderness  and  went  over  the  sea.  Also,  the 
branches  of  Joseph  which  were  to  run  over 
the  wall.  Again,  as  this  people  emigrated 
to  the  north,  they  found  the  ruins  and  bones 
of  the  wealthy  nation  spoken  of  above  scat¬ 
tered  over  the  face  of  this  north  country — 
they  also  found  their  history  engraven  upon 
twenty-four  gold  plates,  their  cattle,  &c.  had 
already  become  a  spoil  unto  them.  There¬ 
fore  these  were  the  inhabitants  of  Hazor, 
unto  whom  God  said,  Flee  ye,  get  ye  far  off, 
dwell  deep,  that  is  dwell  in  secret.  Arise  ye 
and  get  you  up  to  the  wealthy  nation  which 
dwell  without  care,  having  neither  bars  nor 
gates,  which  dwell  alone,  and  their  camels 
shall  be  a  booty  unto  you  and  the  multitude 
of  their  cattle  a  spoil,  &c.  For  this  history 
says  they  left  Jerusalem  just  at  the  time  this 
commandment  was  given  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Hazor;  and  I  have  already  shown  that 
Ilazor  here  spoken  of  refers  to  Jerusalem, 
consequently  the  inhabitants  thereof  were  of 
the  city  where  David  dwelt.  But  again,  as 
this  nation  was  governed  by  the  laws  of  God, 
and  their  rulers  and  governors  w^ere  inspired 
men,  there  was  a  party  who  dissented  and 


BOCK  OF  JIORVION.  6? 

rebelled  against  this  government  and  es¬ 
tablished  another  nation,  rejecting  the  laws 
of  God  and  inspiration.  These  were  called 
Lamanites,  after  the  name  of  their  first  lea¬ 
der;  the  others  were  called  Nephites,  after 
the  name  of  their  first  king.  Nov/  the  Ne¬ 
phites  were  a  civilized,  industrious  people, 
having  prophets  and'  inspired  men  for  their 
rulers;  whereas  the  Lamanites  became  an 
idle,  savage,  and  vicious  people,  delighting 
in  war  and  bloodshed,  and  they  lived  princi¬ 
pally  by  hunting  and  plundering,  and  rob¬ 
bing  the  Nephites.  Therefore  the  Nephites 
had  to  prepare  themselves  for  self  defence 
which  they  did  by  fortifying  their  cities  and 
casting  up  banks  of  earth  round  about  their 
armies,  and  sometimes  building  walls  of  stone 
to  encircle  them  about,  which  accounts  for 
the  numerous  fortifications  and  works  of  de¬ 
fence  found  so  profusely  scattered  over  this 
land.  And  when  the  people  of  these  nations 
became  numerous  the 3^  had  extensive  wars; 
in  some  battles  thousands  were  slain  whft 
were  piled  up  in  heaps  upon  the  face  of  the 
land  and  then  earth  thrown  upon  them,  and 
this  accounts  for  the  numerous  mounds  and 
tumali  found  in  this  country. 

I  will  next  introduce  the  discretions  of 
some  of  these  ancient  fortifications  and  mili¬ 
tary  works  of  defence,  as  recorded  in  the 

4 


98  EVIDENCES  IN  FI! OOF  OF  THE 

American  Antiquities,  by  Josiah  Priest,  and 
also  introduce  a  history  of  the  building  of 
these  fortifications  and  works  of  defence,  os 
recorded  in  the  Book  of  Mormon;  and  I  will 
here  remark,  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  was 
published  in  A.  D.  1830,  and  the  American 
Antiquities,  by  Josiah  Priest,  was  not  pub¬ 
lished  until  A.  D.  1833,  three  years  after. 
Antiquities,  page  158  and  159,  “Near  New¬ 
ark  in  the  county  of  Lickering,  Ohio,  is  sit¬ 
uated  one  of  the  immense  works  or  fortifica¬ 
tions  of  the  ancient  nations  of  America.  It 
embraces  in  the  whole,  a  circumferance  of 
about  six  hundred  rods,  or  nearly  two  miles; 
a  wall  of  earth  for  about  four  hundred  rods, 
is  raised  on  the  sides  of  this  fort  next  to  the 
small  creek  which  comes  down  along  its  sides 
from  the  west  and  east.  It  would  seem  that 
the  people  wrho  made  this  settlement,  under¬ 
took  to  encompass,  with  a  wall,  as  much  land 
as  would  support  its  inhabitants,  and  also  suf¬ 
ficient  to  build  their  dwellings  on,  with  sev¬ 
eral  fortifications  arranged  in  a  proper  man¬ 
ner  for  its  defence.  There  are  within  its 
ranges  four  of  these  forts,  of  different  dimen¬ 
sions;  one  contains  forty  acres,  with  a  wall 
ol  about  ten  feet  high;  another  containing 
twenty-two  acres,  also  walled,  but  in  this  fort  i-s 
an  elevated  observatory,  of  sufficient  height 
to  overlook  the  whole  country;  a  third  fortT 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


9© 


containing  about  twenty-six  acres,  having  a 
wall  around  it  thrown  out  of  a  deep  ditch  on 
the  inside  of  the  wall.  This  wall  is  now  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  in  height.  A  fourth 
fortification  encloses  twenty  acres  with  a  wall 
of  about  ten  feet  high.*7 

Book  of  Mormon,  page  378,  2d  Ed.,  “Now 
it  came  to  pass  that  while  Amalickiah  had 
thus  been  obtaining  power  by  fraud  and  de¬ 
ceit,  Moroni  on  the  other  hand,  had  been  pre¬ 
paring  the  minds  of  the  people  to  be  faithful 
unto  the  Lord  their  God,  yea,  he  had  been 
strengthening  the  armies  of  the  Nephites, 
and  erecting  small  forts  or  places  of  resort, 
throwing  up  banks  of  earth  round  about  to 
enclose  his  armies,  and  also  building  walls  of 
stone  to  encircle  them  round  about  their  cities 
and  the  borders  of  their  lands.77 

Antiquities, page  160,  6  4 A  second  fort  situa¬ 
ted  southwesterly  from  the  great  works  on  the 
Bickering,  encloses  about  forty  acres;  its 
wall  is  entirely  of  stone.77  Antiquities,  page 
163,  “At  Circleville,  Ohio,  there  is  a  cicular 
fort  surrounded  by  two  walls  with  a  deep 
ditch  between  them;  also,  a  square  fort  about 
eighteen  rods  in  circumference  enclosed  by 
a  wall  without  a  ditch.77 

Book  of  Mormon,  page  382,  “Now  behold, 
the  Lamanites  could  not  get  into  their  forts 
of  security  bv  any  other  way  save  by  the  on- 


\ 


109  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

•  0  . 

trance,  because  of  the  highness  of  the  bank 
which  had  been  thrown  up  and  the  depth  of 
the  ditch  which  had  been  dug  round  about, 
save  it  was  by  the  entrance.*" 

Antiquities,  page  165, “Near  the  round  fort 
at  Circle  ville  is  another  fort  ninety  feet  high 
and  was  doubtless  erected  to  overlook  the 
whole  works  of  that  enormous  military  es- 
tablishment.  That  it  was  a  military  estab¬ 
lishment  is  the  decided  opinion  of  the  Presi¬ 
dent  of  the  Western  Antiquarian  Society,  Mr. 
Atwater.  He  says  the  round  fort  was  pick¬ 
eted  in,  if  we  are  to  judge  from  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  ground  on  and  about  the  walls. 
Half  way  up  the  outside  of  the  inner  wall,  is 
a  place  distinctly  to  be  seen,  where  a  row  of 
pickets  once  stood,  and  where  it  was  placed 
when  this  work  of  defence  was  originally 
erected.  These  works  have  been  examined 
by  the  first  military  men  now  living  in  the 
United  States,  and  they  have  uniformly  de¬ 
clared  their  opinion  to  be,  that  they  were 
military  works  of  defence/' 

Book  of  Mormon,  page  883,  2d  Ed.  “And 
now  it  came  to  pass  that  Moroni  did  not  stop 
making  preparation  for  war,  or  to  defend  his 
people  against  the  Lamanites,  for  he  caused 
that  his  armies  should  commence  in  the  com- 
menoement  of  the  twentieth  year  of  the  reign 
of  the  Judges,  that  they  should  commence  in 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


101 


digging  up  heaps  of  earth  round  about  all  the 
cities  throughout  all  the  land  which  was  pos¬ 
sessed  by  the  Nephites;  and  upon  the  top  of 
the  ridges  of  earth,  he  caused  that  there 
should  be  timbers,  yea,  works  of  timbers  built 
up  to  the  height  of  a  man,  round  about  the 
cities.  And  he  caused  that  upon  those  works 
of  timbers  there  should  be  a  frame  of  pick^ 
ets  built  upon  the  timbers,  round  about,  and 
they  were  strong  and  high;  and  he  caused 
towers  to  be  erected  that  overlooked  those 
works  of  pickets.  And  he  caused  places  of 
security  to  be  built  upon  those  towers,  that 
the  stones  and  arrows  of  the  Lamanites  could 
not  hurt  them;  and  they  were  prepared,  that 
they  could  cast  stones  from  the  top  thereof, 
according  to  their  pleasure  and  their  strength, 
and  slay  him  who  should  attempt  to  approach 
near  the  walls  of  the  city.  Thus  Moroni  did 
prepare  strong  holds  against  the  coming  of 
their  enemies,  round  about  every  city  in  all 
the  land.” 

The  foregoing  is  but  a  few  of  the  corres¬ 
ponding  accounts  of  fortifications  and  works 
of  defence  there  are  to  be  found  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon  and  American  Antiquities,  but 
these  are  sufficient  to  show  to  the  public  that 
the  people  whose  history  is  contained  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  are  the  authors  of  these 
works.  But  again;  as  we  trace  the  history 


102 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  TIIE 


of  this  people  down  through  succeeding  gene¬ 
rations,  we  find  that  one  Gadianton,  a  rob¬ 
ber,  rose  up  and  organized  a  band  to  rob  and 
plunder.  These  robbers  prepared  strong 
holds  and  secret  places  in  the  mountains,  to 
which  they  could  flee,  and  be  secure  when 
the  armies  of  the  Nephites  pursued  them. 
Some  of  these  strong  holds  and  secret  places 
were  discovered  in  1832 — two  years  after  the 
Book  of  Mormon  was  published — by  a  Mr. 
Furguson,  and  communicated  to  the  editor  of 
the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal.  This  ac¬ 
count  is  recorded  on  page  169  of  the  American 
Antiquities.  Mr.  Furguson  discribes  this  di- 
covery  as  follows: 

“On  a  mountain  called  the  Lookout  Moun¬ 
tain,  belonging  to  the  vast  Allegany  chain, 
running  between  the  Tennessee  and  Coos 
rivers,  rising  about  one  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  surrounding  valley.  The 
top  of  the  Mountain  is  mostly  level,  but  pre¬ 
sents  to  the  eye  an  almost  barren  waste.  On 
this  range,  notwithstanding  its  height,  a  riv¬ 
er  has  its  source  and  after  traversing  it  for 
about  seventy  miles,  plunges  over  a  preci¬ 
pice.  The  rock  from  which  the  water  falls, 
is  circular,  and  juts  over  considerably.  Im¬ 
mediately  below  the  fall,  on  each  side  of  the 
river,  are  bluffs,  which  rise  about  two  hun¬ 
dred  feet.  Around  one  of  these  bluffs  the 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


103 


river  makes  a  bend  which  gives  it  the  form 
of  a  peninsula.  On  the  top  of  this  are  the 
remains  of  what  is  esteemed  fortifications, 
which  consist  of  a  stone  wall  built  on  the  very 
brow  of  this  tremendous  ledge.  The  whole 
length  of  the  wall,  following  the  very  course 
of  the  brink  of  this  precipice,  is  thirty- 
seven  rods  and  eight  feet,  including  about 
two  acres  of  ground.  The  only  descent  from 
this  place  is  between  two  rocks,  for  about 
thirty  feet,  when  a  bench  of  the  ledge  pre¬ 
sents  itself  from  two  to  five  feet  in  width  and 
ninety  feet  long.  This  bench  is  the  only 
road  or  path  up  from  the  water’s  edge  to  the 
summit.  But  just  at  the  foot  of  the  two  rocks 
where  they  reach  this  path  and  within  thirty 
feet  of  the  top  of  the  rock,  are  five  rooms, 
which  have,  been  formed  by  dint  of  labor. 
The  entrance  to  these  rooms  is  very  smaliy 
but  when  within,  they  are  found  to  communi¬ 
cate  with  each  other  by  doors  or  appertures.” 

Mr.  Furguson  thinks  them  to  have  been 
constructed  during  some  dreadful  war,  and 
those  who  constructed  them,  to  have  acted 
on  the  defensive;  and  believes  that  twenty 
men  could  have  withstood  the  whole  army  of 
Xerxes,  as  it  was  impossible  for  more  than 
one  to  pass  at  a  time,  and  might  by  tbe  slight¬ 
est  push,  be  hurled  at  least  an  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  down  the  rocks. 


104 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


Book  of  Mormon,  page  479,  2d  Ed.  “And 
it  came  to  pass  that  the  ninety  and  third  year 
(of  the  reign  of  the  Judges  over  the  people 
of  Nephi)  did  also  pass  away  in  peace,  save 
it  was  for  the  Gadianton  robbers,  who  dwelt 
Upon  the  Mountains,  who  did  infest  the  land; 
for  so  strong  were  their  holds  and  their  se¬ 
cret  places,  that  the  people  could  not  over¬ 
power  them;  therefore  they  did  commit  many 
murders,  and  did  do  much  slaughter  among 
the  people/*5  Again;  Book  of  Mormon,  page 
461,  “And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  commence¬ 
ment  of  the  fourteenth  year,  ((from  the  time 
the  sign  was  given  of  the  birth  of  Christ, ) 
the  war  between  the  robbers  and  the  people 
of  Nephi  did  continue,  and  did  become  ex¬ 
ceeding  sore;  nevertheless  the  people  of  Ne¬ 
phi  did  gain  some  advantage  of  the  robbers, 
insomuch  that  they  did  drive  them  back  out 
of  their  lands  into  the  mountains  and  into  their 
secret  places.”  Again;  Book  of  Mormon, 
page  485,  2d  Ed.,  “But  it  came  to  pass  that 
in  the  latter  end  of  the  eighteen  year,  those 
armies  of  robbers  had  prepared  for  battle  and 
began  to  come  down  and  to  sally  forth  from 
the  hills,  and  out  of  the  mountains  and  the 
wilderness,  and  their  strong  holds  and  their 
secret  places,  and  began  to  take  possession  of 
the  lands.*5  And  on  the  487  and  488  pages, 
we  are  informed  how  these  robbers  were 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


105 


finally  destroyed;  it  was  by  a  stratagem.  A 
part  of  the  Nephite  armies  getting  between 
the  robbers  and  their  secret  places  and  strong 
holds,  by  which  they  were  cut  off  in  their 
retreat. 

This  again,  is  evidence  that  the  Book  of 
Mormon  is  true,  and  that  this  band  of  robbers 
were  the  constructors  of  this  strong  hold  and 
these  secret  rooms  which  Mr.  Furguson  has 
described;  for  mark!  this  discovery  was  not 
made  until  2  years  after  the  Book  of  Mormon 
was  published,  consequently  the  writer  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon  could  not  have  written  this 
tale  concerning  the  robbers,  to  account  for 
the  construction  of  those  caverns,  for  it  was 
not  known  that  there  was  such  a  place  in  ex¬ 
istence,  until  after  the  book  was  written  and 
published.  And  thus  we  have  abundance  of 
proof  from  recent  discoveries,  American  An¬ 
tiquities  and  prophecy,  that  the  history  con¬ 
tained  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  true. 

Again;  this  history  informs  us  that  about 
four  hundred  years  after  Christ,  this  nation 
of  Nephites  were  brought  down  and  destroy¬ 
ed  by  the  Lamanites;  and  this  because  they 
became  proud  &  lifted  up,  practising  all  man¬ 
ner  of  wickedness  and  abominations,  and  they 
refused  to*  repent  when  God  sent  men  to  warn 
them  to  repent  and  turn  again  unto  God; 
therefore  because  they  were  moro  wicked 


i 


if>6  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


than  the  Lamanites,  God  stired  up  the  La¬ 
manites  to  camp  against  them  round  about, 
and  to  raise  forts  against  them  with  a  mount, 
and  thus  they  were  brought  down.  But  just 
before  their  final  overthrow,  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Mormon  took  their  record  contain¬ 
ing  their  history  and  sacred  writings,  from 
the  time  they  left  Jerusalem,  (the  city  where 
David  dwelt,)  unto  his  days,  and  made  an 
abridgement  therefrom,  and  engraved  it  upon 
plates  which  he  made  out  of  ore.  These 
plates,  after  Mormon’s  death,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Moroni,  his  son,  who  survived  the 
entire  destruction  of  the  Nephites,  finished 
the  record,  and  deposited  it  in  a  stone  box  in 
the  earth,  that  it  might  not  be  destroyed;  to 
come  forth  in  due  time  for  a  sign  to  Israel, 
that  the  time  of  their  redemption  had  come. 
And  also,  in  connection  with  the  Bible,  to  be 
set  up  as  an  ensign  for  the  nations;  and  thus, 
this  nation  of  Nephites  possessing  the  light 
of  God's  revelation,  which  constituted  them 
Ariel,  or  Lion  of  God,  and  being  6 ‘of  the  city 
where  David  dwelt,”  ("that  is,  having  come 
.out  from  Jerusalem,))  was  brought  down  and 
their  words  having  been  written  and  hid  up 
in  the  earth  and  come  forth  again  out  of  the 
earth,  they  “speak  out  of  the  ground  and 
their  voice  whispers  out  of  the  dust.” 

This  account  also  agrees  with  the  Indian 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


107 


Traditions  which  I  have  quoted  in  a  former 
part  of  this  work.  It  says,  that  their  fore¬ 
fathers  were  once  in  possession  of  a  sacred 
Book,  which  was  handed  down  from  genera¬ 
tion  to  generation,  and  at  last  hid  in  the  earth; 
but  these  oracles  are  to  be  restored  to  them 
again  and  then  they  shall  triumph  over  their 
enemies  and  regain  their  ancient  country. 

But  again,  when  this  Book  was  taken  from 
the  place  of  its  deposite,  the  words  thereof 
were  delivered  to  the  learned  Dr.  Mitchel  of 
New-York,  with  a  request  that  he  should 
read  them,  but  he  said  he  could  not;  thusful- 
filing  the  11th  verse  of  the  29th  chapter  of 
Isaiah,  which  says,  the  words  of  a  Book  which 
is  sealed  men  deliver  to  one  that  is  learned, 
saying,  read  this  I  pray  thee;  and  he  saith  I 
cannot  for  it  is  sealed.  And  the  Book  is  de¬ 
livered  to  him  that  is  not  learned,  saying 
read  this  I  pray  thee;  and  he  saith  I  am  not 
learned.  Wherefore  the  Lord  said,  for  as 
much  as  this  people,  (the  people  of  this  gen¬ 
eration,)  draw  near  me  with  their  mouths, 
and  with  their  lips  do  honor  me;  but  have 
removed  their  hearts  far  from  me,  and  their 
fear  towards  me  is  taught  by  the  precepts  of 
men;  therefore  behold,  I  will  proceed  to  do 
a  marvellous  work  among  this  people,  even 
a  marvellous  work  and  a  wonder:  for  the 
wisdom  of  their  wise  men  shall  perish,  and 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  TliH 


10S 

the  understanding  of  their  prudent  men  shall 
be  hid.  And  this  he  has  done — 

First;  by  inspiring  the  unlearned  Joseph 
Smith,  and  giving  him  wisdom  &  power  from 
on  high,  with  the  means  which  were  before 
prepared,  to  read  and  translate  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  the  words  of  which  the  learned  Dr. 
Mitchell  could  not  read;  thus  the  wisdom  of 
the  wise  has  perished  and  the  understanding 
of  the  prudent  is  hid. 

Secondly. — By  raising  up  and  inspiring 
illiterate  and  unlearned  men,  and  sending 
them  forth  with  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  Bible,  as  an  ensign  for  the 
nations,  to  preach  the  fullness  of  the  Gospel, 
and  to  build  up  the  kingdom  of  God  on  the 
earth,  indirect  opposition  to  all  the  jarring 
systems  of  modern  sectarianism,  and  giving 
them  knowledge  and  wisdom  from  on  high, 
insomuch  that  they  have  been  enabled 
to  confound,  astonish,  and  bring  to  shame, 
confusion,  and  disgrace,  every  wise  and 
learned  man  who  has  dared  to  oppose  them 
by  fair  arguments  or  candid  investigation. 

Thirdly.' — It  is  a  marvel  &  a  wonder  to  this 
generation  that  this  work  has  spread  so  rapidly 
under  the  following  circumstances:  First, 
the  men  who  were  engaged  in  preaching  this 
doctrine  were  men  of  no  influence,  being  the 
poor,  illiterate,  and  despised  ones  of  the  earth. 


BOOK  OF  KORMOX. 


10« 

Second, — they  had  not  the  advantages  of  ed¬ 
ucation  which  the  most  of  the  preachers  of 
1  lie  different  denominations  have.  Third, — 
the  advantages  of  that  mighty  engine,  the 
Press,  which  all  the  Christian  world  are  so 
highly  blessed  with,  they  were  almost  wholly 
destitute  of,  while  at  the  same  time  its  power 
was  put  in  requisition  against  them  in  all 
parts  of  the  land.  It  is  true,  they  undertook, 
and  did  publish  a  monthly  periodical  at  dif¬ 
ferent  times  and  places,  but  its  circulation 
was  very  limited,  and  their  office,  press  and 
type  have  been  three  times  entirely  destroy¬ 
ed  by  mobs  and  incendiaries.  Fourth, — 
they  had  to  sustain  the  shock  of  an  over¬ 
whelming  religious  influence  opposed  to  them 
by  the  combined  powers  of  every  sect  in 
America — they  had  to  contend  with  the 
prejudices  of  the  ignorant  and  the  pen  of  the 
learned,  together  with  all  the  lying  slan¬ 
ders  and  misrepresentations  which  the  devil 
and  all  his  cmmissaries  on  earth  could  in¬ 
vent;  while  at  the  same  time  the  combined 
powers  of  earth  and  hell  were  hurling  a 
storm  of  persecution,  unparallecl  in  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  world.  They  were  insulted  by 
mobs,  their  houses  torn  down  or  burned, 
their  goods  destroyed  and  fields  of  grain  laid 
waste,  some  of  them  were  cast  into  dungeons 
and  there  kept  for  months  loaded  with  chains. 


110 


EVIDENCES  IN  EHOOF  OF  THE 


Yea  more — some  of  them  were  shot:  oilier* 

7 

had  their  brains  dashed  out;  others  wero 
whipped  to  death;  others  were  cut  in  pieces 
with  swords,  knives,  corn-cutters,  & c.,  while 
the  whole  society,  at  one  time  amounting  to 
about  12,000  souls,  were  banished  from  the 
state  of  Missouri  and  driven  tw'o  hundred 
miles  from  their  lands,  houses,  homes  and 
property,  in  the  winter  season,  and  this  by 
.  the  order  of  the  executive  of  Missouri,  one 
of  the  free  and  independent  states  of  this 
boasted  republic.  And  the  blood  of  many  of 
these  people  now  stains  the  soil  of  Missouri 
because  of  their  religious  principles:  in  this 
their  native  land;  the  land  of  boasted  liberty 
and  equal  rights,  whose  officers,  both  of  the 
state  and  nation,  have  been  deaf  to  the  voice 
of  innocence,  imploring  at  their  feet  for  jus¬ 
tice  and  protection  in  the  enjoyment  of  their 
rights  as  American  citizens.  And  no  doubt 
many  of  the  instruments  of  these  diabolical 
proceedings  verily  thought  they  were  doing 
God  service,  being  inspired  by  the  Press 
and  Pulpit,  and  encouraged  by  the  officers  of 
state;  or  what  is  still  worse,  by  the  personal 
example  of  both  officers  of  state  and  pro¬ 
fessed  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  wTho  were 
actually  the  leaders  and  abettors  of  all  the 
above  horrible  deeds.  But  under  all  these 
conflicting  circumstances,  this  work  has 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


Ill 


spread  and  has  penetrated  every  state  in  the 
union  from  Maine  to  Missouri  as  well  as  tho 
Canadas.  It  has  reached  the  islands  of  tho 
sea — it  has  spread  nearly  all  over  England, 
and  is  now  preached  in  Ireland,  Scotland  and 
Wales — all  this  in  the  short  space  of  ten 
years.  Churches  are  organized  and  con¬ 
ferences  are  held  in  all  these  regions,  and 
the  number  of  disciples  who  have  already 
embraced  this  work  is  from  an  hundred  to 
an  hundred  and  twenty  thousand.  What 
but  the  arm  of  the  Omnipotent  could  have 
moved  it  forward  thus!  Under  the  conflict¬ 
ing  circumstances  referred  to  above,  surely 
it  is  a  marvelous  work  and  a  wonder,  causing 
the  wisdom  of  the  wise  to  perish  and  the 
understanding  of  the  prudent  to  he  hid.  But 
again,  another  feature  about  this  work  which 
constitutes  it  marvelous  and  wonderful 
among  the  people  of  this  generation  is,  these 
preachers  profess  no  authority  from  anti¬ 
quity  to  administer  the  gospel  ordinances, 
but  say  that  an  angel  has  come  down  from 
the  midst  of  heaven,  and  conferred  on  them 
the  priesthood  and  authority  to  preach  and 
administer  the  everlasting  gospel  unto  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation, 
and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  saying 
with  a  loud  voice,  fear  God  and  give  glory 
to  him,  for  the  hour  of  his  judgement  is  come; 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


and  worship  him  that  made  heaven  and  earth 
and  the  sea  and  the  fountains  cf  waters.  (Seo 
Revelations  14th  chapt.  6th  and  7th  verses.) 
And  they  profess  to  be  apostles,  prophets, 
evangelists,  pastors  and  teachers,  all  inspired 
by  the  holy  ghost,  just  like  the  ancient  offi¬ 
cers  of  the  church  and  kingdom  of  God. — 
(See  Ephes.  4th  chapt.  11th  12th  and  1 3th 
verses.)  Also  the  believers  in  this  Book. of 
Mormon,  being  baptised  for  the  remission  of 
sins  and  receiving  the  laying  on  of  hands  by 
these  apostles  and  prophets,  they  speak  with 
new  tongues  and  prophesy,  east  out  devils, 
and  sometimes  lay  hands  on  the  sick  and 
they  recover,  and  thus  one  has  given  him 
by  the  holy  ghost  the  word  of  wisdom,  and 
another  the  word  of  knowledge,  and  another* 
faith,  and  another  the  gifts  of  healing,  and  an¬ 
other  the  working  of  miracles,  and  another 
prophecy,  and  another  the  discerning  of 
spirits,  and  another  divers  kinds  of  tongues, 
and  another  the  interpretations  of  tongues — 
just  as  was  anciently  given  to  the  church  of 
Christ.  (See  1st  Corinthians  12th  chapt.) 
And  in  consequence  of  these  gifts  the  blind 
are  made  to  see,  the  deaf  to  hear,  the  meek 
increase  and  their  joy  is  in  the  Lord,  and  the 
poor  rejoice  in  the  holy  one  of  Israel.  Also, 
they  that  erred  in  spirit  come  to  understand¬ 
ing,  and  they  that  murmured  learn  doctrine* 


BOOK  OF  MORMON.  113 

All  these  things  are  marvelous  to  this  gener¬ 
ation  because  their  fear  towards  God  is 
taught  by  the  precepts  of  men,  and  they 
know  nothing  of  inspiration  or  the  power  of 
God,  therefore  they  have  a  form  of  godli¬ 
ness  but  deny  the  power  thereof.  From 
such  says  Paul,  turn  away.  (See  2d  Timo¬ 
thy  3d  chapt.  1st  to  9th  verses.)  But  another 
great  and  marvelous  event  is,  the  return  of 
the  Jews  to  their  own  land  and  rebuilding 
Jerusalem,  which  has  actually  taken  place 
since  the  book  of  Mormon  was  published  in 
1830,  in  fulfilment  of  a  prophesy  contained 
in  the  book  of  Mormon,  page  526,  2d  edition, 
it  says,  “And  then  sha  1  Jerusalem  be  inhabit¬ 
ed  again  with  my  people,  and  it  shall  be  the 
land  of  their  inheritance.  And  verily  I  say 
unto  you  I  give  unto  }rou  a  sign  that  you 
may  know  the  time  when  these  things  shall 
be  about  to  take  place,  that  I  shall  gather 
in  from  their  long  dispersion,  my  people  of 
the  house  of  Israel,  and  .shall  establish  again 
among  them  my  Zion.  And  behold  this  is 
the  thing  which  I  will  give  unto  you  for  a 
sign,  when  these  things  which  I  declare  unto 
you  and  which  I  shall  declare  unto  you  here¬ 
after  shall  be  made  known  unto  the  gentiles 
that  they  may  know  concerning  this  my 
people  who  are  a  remnant  of  the  house  of 
Israel,  this  shall  he  the  sign.”  Also  page 


114 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


240,  2d  edition:  “And  now  behold  I  say  unto 

7  J 

vou  that  when  the  Lord  shall  see  fit  in  his 
wisdom  that  these  sayings  shall  come  unto 
the  gentiles  according  to  his  word,  then  ye 
may  know  that  the  covenant  which  the 
father  had  made  with  the  children  of  Israel, 
concerning  their  restoration  to  the  lands  of 
their  inheritance  is  already  beginning  to  be 
fulfilled.'5  That  the  Jews  have  actuallybegan 
to  gather  and  to  rebuild  Jerusalem,  in  fulfil¬ 
ment  of  the  above  prophecies,  the  following 
circular,  copied  from  the  Morning  Herald,  is 
positive  proof.  A  voice  from  the  Holy  City; 
Rebuilding  of  the  Temple  of  Solomon — 
Recall  of  the  People  of  God  to  Jerusalem. — 
The  Editor  of  the  Herald  savs:  “We  have 
received  by  the  last  packet  from  England,  a 
copy  of  a  very  extraordinary  “circular,75  is¬ 
sued  by  the  Jews,  residing  at  Jerusalem,  and 
addressed  to  all  the  descendants  of  Abraham, 
to  the  uttermost  ends  of  the  earth.  It  is 
written  in  the  pure  Hebrew  character,  and 
accompanied  with  an  English  translation, 
which  we  annex  as  a  matter  of  the  deepest 
curiosity  to  the  people  of  this  country.  Next 
week,  if  we  possibly  can,  we  shall  publish 
the  original  Hebrew,  in  a  double  sheet;  hut 
at  present  we  must  content  ourselves  with 
the  translation:75 

“To  our  brethren  the  Israelites  of  Europe 


to  OIL  OV  MORAIOX. 


115 


and  America — the  liberal  and  benevolent 
contributors  toward  every  holy  and  pious 
purpose — ready  to  stand  in  the  breach,  to 
evince  their  love  for  the  land  of  promise;  to 
the  well-wishers  of  Jerusalem,  and  friends 
of  Zion,  ( dearer  to  us  than  life,)  who  extend 
their  bounteous  aid  to  this  holy  city,  and  de* 
vote  their  best  means  in  love  and  affection, 
“to  take  pity  on  her  stones  and  show  mercy 
on  her  dust;'7  To  the  illustrious  and  excel¬ 
lent  Rabbies,  to  their  worthy  and  distinguish¬ 
ed  assessors;  to  the  noble  chiefs  and  faithful 
leaders  of  Israel;  to  all  congregations  devo¬ 
ted  to  the  Lord,  and  to  every  member  there¬ 
of — health,  life  and  prosperity.  May  the 
Lord  vouchsafe  his  protection  unto  them. — 
May  they  rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad,  and 
with  their  own  eyes  may  they  behold  when 
the  Lord  restoreth  Zion.  Such  be  His  gra¬ 
cious  will,  Amen. 

“It  is  a  fact  well  known  throughout  Judah 
and  Israel,  that  “the  glory  altogether  depart* 
ed  from  the  daughter  of  Zion,77  since  up¬ 
wards  of  one  hundred  years  ago,  the  congre¬ 
gation  of  German  Jews  in  this  holy  city 
were  forcibly  deprived  of  their  homes  and 
inheritance.  Dreadful  and  grievous  was  the 
yoke  under  which  the  despots  of  this  land 
oppressed  them.  Tyranny  and  cruel  usage 
ground  them  to  the  dust  and  forced  them  to 


116 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  T RE 

forsake  their  habitations,  to  abandon  their 
houses  and  all  their  property,  and  to  seek 
safety  in  flight.  Thus  the  large  court  they 
inherited  from  their  ancestors,  remained  de¬ 
serted  and  uninhabited,  until  it  was  seized 
upon  and  possessed  by  aliens.  The  sacred 
edifices  it  contained,  namely  the  Synagogue 
and  Medrash,  were  by  them  demolished,  the 
whole  of  the  property  utterly  ruined,  and 
possessions  lawfully  ours,  devasted  before  our 
eyes.  Then  did  our  souls  refuse  all  conso¬ 
lation!  for  how  could  we  bear  to  witness  the 
evil  which  befei  our  people?  As  the  light 
gleams  forth  from  a  spark,  so  did  our  con¬ 
gregation  take  heart  and  return,  again  to 
form  their  establishments  and  to  take  root  on 
the  holy  mount.  But  we  could  find  no  rest 
for  our  wearied  feet — no  place  conseccrated 
and  appointed  for  prayer  and  instruction. — 
Our  aching  eyes  beheld  how  every  nation 
and  tongue,  even  from  the  most  distant  isles 
of  the  Ocean,  is  here  possessed  with  struc¬ 
tures  defended  by  walls,  gates  and  portcul¬ 
lis,  whilst  the  people  of  the  Lord,  forcibly 
expelled  from  their  inheritance  by  rapacious 
barbarians,  were  covered  with  obliquy, 
scorn  and  disgrace.  The  cries  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  ascended  unto  the  Lord,  who  awelleth  in 
Zion.  He  looked  down  and  in  pity  beheld 
their  sufferings  and  oppression.  And  ever 


ROOK  OF  MORMOX. 


117 


since  the  ruler  of  Egypt  first  assumed  the 
government  of  the  holy  land — a  ruler  who 
maintains  justice  throughout  his  dominions — 
an  edict  was  issued  permitting  Jews  to  do 
whatsoever  they  deemed  right  and  expedi¬ 
ent  with  respect  to  the  rebuilding  of  their 
demolished  synagogues  and  colleges.  Us, 
likewise,  the  Lord  in  his  mercy  vouchsafe 
to  remember  and  caused  us  to  be  reinstated 
into  the  heritage  of  our  fathers,  even  to  the 
afore-mentioned  court  which  is  called  the 
Ruin  of  R.  Jehudah  the  pious  (of  blessed 
memory.)  Blessed  be  the  Lord  our  God, 
the  God  of  our  fathers,  who  inspired  the 
heart  of  the  ruler  of  Egypt  to  restore  unto 
us  the  possessions  of  our  ancestors:  nor  did 
we  delay  or  lose  time  in  the  matter,  but  ex¬ 
erted  ourselves  to  rebuild  Jerusalem.  ‘We 
fenced  it  and  gathered  up  the  stones  thereof/ 
and  the  sacred  undertaking  prospered  in  our 
hands,  so  that  we  have  completed  the  Med- 
rash,  ‘and  great  is  the  glory  of  the  house/ 
and  also  houses  for  the  teachers  of  the  law, 
and  for  the  hospitable  entertainment  of  stran¬ 
gers,  which  were  indispensably  necessary  to 
accommodate  the  many  pious  Israelites  who 
visit  the  holy  city  during  the  festivals.  And 
on  Rosh  Hodesh  Shebath  last,  we  joyfully 
placed  a  Sepher  Torah  in  the  Med  rash,' 
which  we  consecrated  by  the  name  of  ‘Me- 


118 


EVIDENCES  IN  PP.OOF  OF  THE 


nahem  Zion/  for  the  Lord  has  vouchsafed  to 
comfort  his  people.  But  although  we  have 
thus,  under  the  blessing  of  providence,  re¬ 
trieved  from  devastation  a  part  of  the  possos- 
sions  bequeathed  unto  us  by  our  pious  ances¬ 
tors,  yet  our  hearts  are  afflicted  and  our  eyes 
are  dimmed  when  we  behold  the  sanctuary 
of  the  Lord,  the  synagogue,  which  still  lies 
in  ruins;  nor  is  it  in  the  power  of  all  of  us 
(the  German  congregation)  to  rebuild  it;  for, 
alas,  great  is  the  number  of  our  poor  who 
stand  in  need  of  bread,  and  the  debts  we  con¬ 
tracted  in  building  the  Medrash  are  large, 
and  weigh  heavily  upon  us.  The  cause  o'f 
our  grief  is  thus  ever  present  to  our  eyes, 
the  ruins  of  the  synagogue  are  heaped  in 
the  middle  of  the  court  and  rank  weeds 
spread  over  the  consecrated  pile.  W&  there¬ 
fore  deem  it  our  bounden  duty  to  dispatch  a 
messenger  unto  our  brethren  the  children  of 
Israel,  who  are  dispersed,  and  in  exile,  in 
order  to  acquaint  them  with  *the  salvation 
of  the  Lord  in  the  land/  so  that  they  may 
arise  and  take  pity  on  zion,  for  it  is  time  to 
show  mercy  unto  her.  To  undertake  this 
laborious  duty  was  the  voluntary  offer  of  our 
dearly  beloved  friend,  that  profound  and  re¬ 
nowned  Rabbi,  the  zealous  and  honorable  Aa¬ 
ron  Selig  Ashkenazi.  He  is  a  man  confirmed 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  of  a  faithful  stock;  and 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


110 


him  we  depute  as  our  messenger,  worthy  of 
all  trust,  to  make  proclamation  unto  the 
communities  of  Israel  ‘according  to  the 
sight  which  he  has  seen  in  the  holy  mount/ 
and  to  him  we  have  given  letters  of  authori¬ 
zation,  containing  full  particulars  as  to  his 
pious  mission,  and  every  necessary  informa¬ 
tion  relating  thereto. 

“Now,  therefore,  let  the  righteous  behold 
and  rejoice;  let  the  pious  exult  and  t  humph 
in  gladness;  the  day  ye  so  long  have  hoped 
for  is  come,  and  ye  see  it.  The  crown  of 
holiness  will  again  adorn  its  former  abode. 
Therefore,  arise,  and  take  upon  yourselves 
according  to  the  words  of  this  letter,  to  de¬ 
vote  a  portion  of  your  wealth  as  a  sacred 
tribute  toward  erecting  “the  temple  of  the 
most  high  King  on  the  mountain  of  the 
Lord/’  that  ye  may  have  a  portion  and  a 
righteous  record  in  Jerusalem.  Let  no  one 
among  you  refuse  his  aid,  but  let  the  poor 
man  contribute  his  mite  for  himself  and  his 
household  freely,  as  the  rich  dispenses  the 
bounty  wherewith  the  Lord  hath  blessed 
him.  Let  fathers  and  their  offspring,  tho 
aged  and  the  youthful,  alike  arise  in  mercy 
to  Zion  at  this  propitious  season,  let  each 
man  encourage  his  neighbor,  and  say,  ‘we 
will  be  zealous  and  persevering  for  our  peo¬ 
ple,  and  the  city  of  our  God.’  And  forth# 


120 

< 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


love  of  Zion,  and  the  sake  of  Jerusalem, 
we  will  not  rest  nor  be  easy  until  Jerusa¬ 
lem  is  praised  throughout  the  earth,  and 
foremost  in  our  joys,  even  as  we  have  vow¬ 
ed.  “If  I  forget  thee  Jerusalem,  let  my 
right  hand  forget  her  cunning;  if  I  prefer 
not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief  Joys.”  Such 
are  the  words  of  your  brethren  who  address 
you  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  for  the  hon¬ 
or  of  his  land,  his  people  and  his  inherit¬ 
ance,  continually  praying  for  our  ex¬ 
iled  brethren,  and  offering  up  our  orisons  on 
holy  ground,  and  particularly  near  the  Wes¬ 
tern  Wall,  that  it  may  be  well  with  you  ev¬ 
erlastingly,  as  you,  yourselves  desire,  and 
we  most  sincerely  wish.  Signed  at  Jerusa-s 
lem,  the  18th  day  of  year  5597  A.  M.  by 
the  Wardens  of  the  Medrashand  members 
pf  the  building  committee,  on  behalf  of  the 
congregation  of  German  Jews  in  this  holy 
city.  (Signed,)  Hirsh  Joseph,  David  Reu¬ 
ben,  Nathan  Laadis,  Abraham  S.  Salmons, 
Mordecai  Avigdor,  UriahS  Hyam. 

“The  undersigned  assessors  of  the  Bethdin, 
by  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Chief  Rabbi, 
hereby  certify  that  Rev.  Aaron  Selig  As- 
kenazi,  is  actually  deputed  for  the  purpose 
mentioned  in  the  above  circular.  London, 
the  7th  Tebath,  24th  Dec.  5599.  Israel 
Levy,  Aaron  Levy,  A  L  Barnett.' ? 


ROOK  OF  MORMON. 


121 


And  thus  Jerusalem  is  rebuilding  in  fulfil¬ 
ment  of  prophesy  contained  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon.  This,  indeed,  is  marvelous;  blit 
still  more  so  when  we  take  into  consideration 
the  other  circumstances  connected  with  this 
event,  viz:  First,  the  decree  of  God  upon 
Jerusalem,  that  it  should  be  trodden  down  of 
the  Gentiles  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles 
should  be  fulfilled.  Second,  the  many  times' 
the  Jews  have  undertaken  to  rebuild  it  since 
this  decree  was  uttered  against  it;  and  third, 
the  means  God  has  now  made  use  of  to  re¬ 
store  it  to  them  again.  First,  this  decree 
against  Jerusalem  is  recorded  by  Luke  21st 
chapt.  24th  verse,  as  uttered  by  Jesus  Christ 
after  the  inhabitants  thereof  had  rejected  all 
his  words  and  sought  his  life.  Fie  says  they 
shall  fall  by  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  shall 
be  led  away  captive  into  all  nations;  and  Je- 
rusalem  shall  be  trodden  down  of  the  Gen¬ 
tiles  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfill¬ 
ed. 

Now  we  have  accounts  in  history  of  the- 
Jews  making  several  attemps  to  rebuild  this 
city,  since  its  final  destruction  in  fulfilment 
of  the  above  declaration,  but  were  hindered; 
the  gentiles  either  destroying  them,  or  sub¬ 
jecting  them  to  the  worst  of  slavery.  But  at 
last,  ( since  1830,  the  times  of  the  Gentiles 
being  fulfilled,)  God  did  stir  up  Mehemit  Ali, 


122  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

the  Pacha  of  Egypt,  a  M  alio  me  dan,  to  make 
war  with  his  master,  the  Grand  Sultan  of  the 
Turks,  under  whose  dominion  the  Holy  Land 
had  been  for  many  years;  and  in  this  war 
the  Turks  (who  have  been  so  long  the  adver¬ 
saries  of  Judah,  J  were  cut  off  from  the  Holy 
Land,  and  the  government  of  the  land  was 
assumed  by  the  ruler  of  Egypt,  who  restor¬ 
ed  to  the  Jews  their  liberty  and  the  privilege 
of  rebuilding  their  city.  Since  then,  (I  have 
been  informed, )  that  both  England  and  Rus¬ 
sia  have  extended  protection  to  the  Jews  in 
Palestine,  and  propose  to  aid  them  in  their 
return  thither  unto  the  heritage  of  their  fa¬ 
thers.  Also,  on  the  6th  of  November,  1840, 
the  Grand  Sultan  himself  has  issued  his  fir¬ 
man,  proclaiming  Israel  free  throughout  his 
empire  and  dominions.  Now  Jerusalem  is 
no  longer  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles, 
therefore  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  are  ful¬ 
filled,  and  God  has  began  to  gather  together 
the  dispersed  of  Judah.  Therefore  he  has 
set  up  an  ensign  for  the  nations.  The  Lord 
has  began  to  take  the  children  of  Israel  from 
among  the  heathen  whither  they  be  gone, 
and  to  gather  them  in  on  every  hand.  There¬ 
fore  he  has  taken  the  stick  of  Joseph,  which 
was  in  the  hand  of  Ephraim,  and  put  it  with 
the  stick  of  Judah  and  made  them  one  stick 
in  his  hand;  and  the  Lord  has  began  to  give 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


123 


to  Israel  that  which  is  good,  and  her  land  has 
began  to  yield  her  increase  unto  them. — 
Therefore  truth  has  sprung  out  of  the  earth 
and  righteousness  (that  is  knowledge  of  the 
right  way,J  has  looked  down  from  Heaven. 
Now  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  the  stick  of  Jo¬ 
seph,  and  it  contains  truth,  ( that  is,  the  law, 
word  and  commandments  of  God,  or  the 
great  things  of  God's  law  written  to  Ephraim ) 
and  it  was  taken  out  of  the  earth  in  Ameri¬ 
ca,  where  Ephraim  dwells,  and  put  with  the 
bible,  and  these  were  lifted  up  as  an  ensign 
for  the  nations  upon  the  mountains  of  Amer¬ 
ica,  the  land  shadowing  with  wings  which  is 
beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia  from  Jerusa¬ 
lem;  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  and 
dwellers  on  the  earth  are  called  upon  to  see 
and  to  hear  the  trumpet  of  the  gospel  which 
is  now  blowing  for  the  salvation  of  Israel, 
and  ail  who  will  subscribe  with  their  hand 
unto  the  Lord,  and  sirname  themselves  Israel 
and  call  themselves  after  the  name  of  Jacob. 
Nov/  we  have  seen  that  the  Book  of  Mormon 
not  only  bears  the  description  given  in  the 
prophecies  concerning  such  a  book,  both  in  its 
history,  manner,  time  and  place  of  its  com¬ 
ing  forth,  together  with  the  events  following 
it,  but  also  its  history  is  corroborated  by  the 
antiquities  of  the  country  and  the  traditions  of 
the  natives.  So  that  we  have  an  abundance 


124 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


of  proof  that  it  is  a  divinely  inspired  record, 
written  bv  the  forefathers  of  the  natives  whom 
we  call  Indians,  f  who  are  a  remnant  of  the 
tribe  of  Joseph,)  and  hid  up  in  the  earth,  but 
come  forth  in  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  for  the 
gathering  of  Israel  and  the  re-establishing 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth.  But 
again,  the  Divine  authenticity  of  this  book 
is  established  by  the  fulfilment  of  prophecies 
contained  in  it,  since  it  was  published  in  1830. 
Not  only  those  already  quoted,  but  many 
more,  a  few  of  which  I  will  now  subjoin. — 
Page  122,  2d  edition: 

“For  behold,  at  that  day  shall  he^ the  devil) 
rage  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men, 
and  stir  them  up  to  anger  against  that  which 
is  good,  and  others  he  will  pacify  and  lull 
them  awav  into  carnal  security/* ' 

Again,  page  123:  “And  my  words  shall 
hiss  forth  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  for  a  stand¬ 
ard  unto  my  people  who  are  of  the  house  of 
Israel;  and  because  my  words  shall  hiss  forth 
many  of  the  gentiles  shall  say  ‘a  bible,  a  bi- 
ble,  we  have  got  a  bible,  and  there  cannot 
be  any  more  bible.*  *? 

Again,  Page  125:  “And  now,  I  would  pro¬ 
phesy  somewhat  more  concerning  the  Jewrs, 
and  the  Gentiles,  for  after  the  book  of  which 
I  have  spoken  shall  come  forth  and  be  writ¬ 
ten  unto  the  Gentiles,  and  sealed  up  again 


no  OX  OF  M  OHM  ox. 


123 


unto  the  Lord,  there  shall  be  many  which 
shall  believe  the  words  which  are  written; 
and  they  shall  carry  them  forth  unto  the 
remnant  of  our  seed;  and  then  shall  the  rem¬ 
nant  of  our  seed  know  concerning  us,  how 
that  we  came  out  from  Jerusalem,  and  that 
they  are  descendants  of  the  Jews.####And  it 
shall  come  to  pass  that  the  Lord  God  shall 
commence  his  work,  among  all  nations,  kin¬ 
dreds,  tongues  and  people,  to  bring  about  the 
restoration  of  his  people  upon  the  earth.” 

The  above  are  but  few  of  the  many  proph¬ 
ecies  contained  in  that  book,  which  have  been 
literally  fulfilled  since  it  was  published  in 
1830.  But  these  are  sufficient  to  prove  that 
the  writers  of  the  book  were  divinely  inspi¬ 
red.  But  again  the  truth  of  this  book  is  es¬ 
tablished  by  a  recent  discovery  of  tho  Book 
of  Enoch,  which  contains  an  evident  proph¬ 
ecy  of  the  coming  forth  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon,  and  the  mission  of  the  Elders  of  the 
church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day 
Saints,  which  they  are  now  performing  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth,  together  with  the 
late  persecution  which  has  befallen  this 
church,  in  Missouri.  It  also  speaks  of  the 
conduct  of  the  rulers  of  this  nation  in  refus¬ 
ing  to  hear  and  regard  their  cries  for  redress 
and  protection,  and  predicts  the  final  result 
of  that  matter,  and  the  complete  triumph  of 


126 


EVIDENCES  IF  PROOF  OF  THE 


the  saints.  The  title  page  of  this  book  reads 
as  follows:  “The  Book  of  Enoch  the  Proph* 
et;  an  Apocryphal  Production,  supposed  for 
ages  to  have  been  lost,  but  discovered  at  the 
close  of  the  last  century,  in  Abyssinia;  now 
first  translated  from  an  Ethiopic  manuscript 
in  the  Bodleian  Library,  by  Richard  Lau¬ 
rence,  L.  L.  D.,  Archbishop  of  Cashel,  late 
Professor  of  Hebrew  in  the  University  of 
Oxford.”  This  book  carries  with  it  indis¬ 
putable  evidence  of  being  an  ancient  produc¬ 
tion.  It  steers  clear  of  modern  sectarianism, 
and  savors  much  of  the  doctrine  of  the  an¬ 
cients,  especially  in  regard  to  the  things  of 
the  Latter  days.  The  following  is  an 
extract  from  this  remarkable  book,  commen¬ 
cing  at  page  156: 

“But  now  I  swear  to  you,  ye  righteous, 
by  the  greatness  of  his  splendor  and  his  glory; 
by  his  illustrious  kingdom,  and  by  his  majes¬ 
ty,  to  you  I  swear  that  I  comprehend  this 
mystery;  that  I  have  read  the  tablet  of 
heaven,  have  seen  the  writing  of  the  holy 
ones  and  have  discovered  what  is  written 
and  impressed  on  it  concerning  you.”  He 
then  proceeds  to  pronounce  certain  blessings 
on  the  righteous,  and  curses  on  the  wicked, 
after  which  he  describes  the  complaints  of 
the  saints  of  the  last  days  as  follows: 

“We  have  perished;  nor  has  there  been  a 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


m 

possibility  of  help  for  us  in  word  or  deed: 
we  have  found  none,  but  have  been  tormen¬ 
ted  and  destroyed.  W e  have  not  expected 
to  live  day  after  day.  We  hoped  to  have 
been  the  head;  but  we  have  become  the 
tail.  We  have  been  afflicted,  when  we  have 
exerted  ourselves;  but  we  have  been  de¬ 
voured  by  sinners  and  the  ungodly;  their 
j'oke  has  been  heavy  upon  us.  Those  have 
exercised  dominion  over  us  who  detest  and 
who  goad  us;  and  to  those  who  hate  us  have 
we  humbled  our  neck;  but  they  have  shown 
no  compassion  towards  us.  We  have  been 
desirous  of  escaping  from  them,  that  we 
might  fly  away  and  be  at  rest;  but  we  have 
found  no  place  to  which  we  could  fly,  and 
be  secure  from  them.  We  have  sought  an 
asylum  with  princes  in  our  distress,  and  have 
cried* ou-f  to  those  who  were  devouring  us — 
but  our  cry  has  not  been  regarded,  nor  have 
they  been  disposed  to  hear  our  voice;  but 
rather  to  assist  those  who  would  plunder  and 
devour  us,  those  who  diminish  us  and  hide 
their  oppression;  who  remove  not  their  yoke 
from  us,  but  devour,  enervate,  and  slay  us; 
who  conceal  our  slaughter,  nor  remember 
that  they  have  lifted  up  their  hands  against 
us.  I  swear  to  you  ye  righteous,  that  in 
heaven  the  angels  record  your  goodness  be- 
b*fore  the  glory  of  the  Mighty  One.  Wait 


128 


EVIDENCES  IN  1*1100 F  OF  THE 


with  patient  hope;  formerly  you  have  been 

L  1  7  m, 

disgraced  with  exile  and  affliction;  but  now 
you  shall  shine  like  the  luminaries  of  heaven. 
You  shall  be  seen,  and  the  gates  of  heaven 
shall  be  open  to  you.  Your  cries  have  cried 
for  judgment;  and  it  has  appeared  to  you, 
for  an  account  of  all  your  suffering  shall  be 
required  from  the  princes,  and  from  every 
one  who  has  assisted  your  plunderers.  Wait 
with  patient  hope,  nor  relinquish  your  con¬ 
fidence;  for  great  joy  shall  be  yours  like  un¬ 
to  that  of  the  angels  of  heaven.  Conduct 
yourselves  as  you  may,  still  you  shall  not 
be  concealed  in  the  day  of  the  great  judg¬ 
ment.  You  shall  not  be  found  like  sinners; 
and  eternal  condemnation  shall  be  far  from 
you,  as  long  as  the  world  exists.  And  now 
fear  not,  ye  righteous  when  ye  see  sinners 
flourishing  and  prospering  in  their  ways. — 
Be  not  associated  with  them,  but  keep  your¬ 
selves  at  a  distance  from  their  oppression:  be 
ye  associated  with  the  host  of  heaven.  You* 
ye  sinners  say,  all  our  transgressions  shall 
not  be  taken  account  of  and  be  recorded ;  but  all 
your  transgressions  shall  be  recorded  daily. 
And  be  assured  by  me  that  light  and  darkness, 
day  and  night,  behold  all  your  transgres¬ 
sions.  Be  not  impious  in  your  thoughts;  lie 
not;  surrender  not  the  word  of  uprightness; 
lie  not  against  the  word  of  the  Holy  and 


129 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


.Mighty  One;  glorify  not  your  idols;  for  all 
your  lying  and  all  your  impiety  is  not  for 
righteousness,  but  for  great  crime.  Now 
will  1  point  out  a  mystery;  many  sinners 
shall  turn  and  transgress  against  the  word  of 
uprightness.  They  shall  speak  evil  things; 
they  shall  utter  falsehood;  execute  great 
undertakings,  and  compose  books  in  their 
own  words.  But  when  they  shall  write  all 
my  words  correctly  in  their  own  languages* 
they  shall  neither  change  nor  diminish  them, 
but  shall  write  them  all  correctly;  all  of  which 
from  the  first  I  have  uttered  concerning 
them.  Another  mystery  also  I  point  out. — - 
To  the  righteous  and  the  wise  shall  be  given 
books  of  joy,  of  integrity,  of  great  wisdom. 


To  them  .shall  books  be  given,  in  which  they 
shall  believe  and  in  which  they  shall  rejoice. 
And  all  the  righteous  shall  be  rewarded, who 
from  these  shall  require  the  knowledge  of 
every  upright  path.  In  those  days,  saith 
the  Lord,  they  shall  call  to  the  children  of 
the  earth  and  make  them  listen  to  their  wis¬ 
dom.  Shew  them  that  you  are  their  leader; 
and  that  remuneration  shall  take  place  over 
the  whole  earth;  for  I  and  my  Son  will  for¬ 
ever  hold  communion  with  them  in  th$ 
paths  of  uprightness,  while  they  are  still 
alive.  Peace  shall  be  yours.  Rejoice, 
children  of  integrity,  in  the  truth  A  I  would 


5 


130 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THfe 


here  just  remark  that  whoever  will  take  the 
gains  to  read  the  history  of  the  persecution 
of  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  will  find  that 
Enoch  in  describing  their  complaints,  has 
given"  a  most  accurate  description  of  what 
there  happened  unto  them,  together  with  the 
conduct  of  the  princes  or  rulers  of  this  na¬ 
tion  in  refusing  to  grant  them  redress  for 
the  wrongs  they  there  suffered;  then  again 
after  predicting  the  final  result  of  that  mat¬ 
ter  and  the  final  triumph  of  the  saints,  he 
says  “Now  will  I  point  out  a  mystery.”  He 
then  goes  back  and  speaks  of  the  apostacy  of 
the  Church  from  the  apostolic  faith,  by  say¬ 
ing  “Many  sinners  shall  turn  and  transgress 
against  the  word  of  uprightness.  They 
shall  speak  evil  things;  they  shall  utter  false¬ 
hoods;  and  execute  great  undertakings,  and 
compose  books  in  their  own  words,  (that  is 
without  inspiration)  but  when  they  shall 
write  all  of  my  (Enoch's^  words  in  their 
own  languages,  they  shall  not  change  nor 
diminish  them,  but  s1  all  write  them  alt 
correctly,  all  of  which  ( says  Enoch)  from 
the  first  I  have  uttered  concerning  them.” 
“Another  mystery  also  I  point  out,”  ( says 
Enoch.)  He  then  goes  onto  speak  of  the 
’'coming  forth  of  the  record  of  the  Nephites, 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the  events  follow- 


BOOK  OF  MORMON, 


131 


i.ng  it,  viz:  The  going  forth  of  the  officers 
of  God’s  Kingdom,  his  messengers  to  the  na¬ 
tions  declaring  his  glory  among  the  gentiles, 
&c.,  by  saying:  “To  the  righteous  and  wise 
shall  be  given  books  of  joy,  of  integrity,  of 
great  wisdom.  To  them  shall  books  be  giv¬ 
en,  in  which  they  shall  believe,  and  in 
which  they  shall  rejoice.”  He  says  books, 
in  the  plural,  because  more  than  one  book 
was  to  be  given;  referring  not  only  to  the 
books  which  were  to  be  written  from  truth 
springing  out  of  the  earth,  but  also  to  those 
which  should  be  written  from  righteousness 
looking  down  from  heaven  when  the  Lord 
should  give  that  which  is  good,  and  the  land 
of  Israel  should  yield  her  increase  again  unto 
them.  But  the  Book  of  Mormon  itself  is  a 
book  of  books — and  it  contains  fourteen 
“Books  of  joy,  of  integrity,  and  of  great 
wisdom,  and  many  righteous  have  from 
these  acquired  the  knowledge  of  every  up¬ 
right  path.”  “In  those  days,  saith  the  Lord, 
they  shall  call  to  the  children  of  the  earth 
and  make  them  listen  to  their  wisdom.7" — 
This  has  been  done  and  is  still  in  progress 
by  the  elders  of  the  church  who  have  from 
these  Books  acquired  the  knowledge  of 
every  upright  path.  “Shew  them  that  you 
are  their  leaders;  and  that  remuneration 
shall  take  place  over  the  whole  earth,” — 


132 


EVIDENCES  IF  rfiOOP  OF  THE 


That  is  shew  them  that  God  has  sent  you 
to  lead  them  in  the  way  of  righteousness  and 
to  declare  unto  them  that  a  righteous  judg¬ 
ment  is  coming  speedily  upon  all  tho  inhab¬ 
itants  of  the  earth,  in  the  which  the  right¬ 
eous  will  be  rewarded  for  their  sufferings 
and  the  wicked  punished  for  their  oppression 
and  wickedness,  and  God  promises  that  both 
He  and  his  Son  will  forever  hold  commun¬ 
ion  with  these  men  in  the  paths  of  upright¬ 
ness  while  they  live.  No\v  this  is  precisely 
the  doctrine  that  the  elders  of  the  church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  have  been 
preaching  for  ten  years — “Calling  to  the 
children  of  the  earth  and  making  them  lis¬ 
ten  to  their  wisdom.”  Thus  the  truth  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon  is  established,  proved  and 
confirmed  by  this  prophesy  of  Enoch,  tho 
seventh  from  Adam.  But  again,  the  Book 
of  Mormon  is  sustained  by  as  positive  living 
testimony  as  any  other  truth  revealed  to 
man — the  following  is  the  testimony  of  three 
witnesses  as  recorded  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon:  “Be  it  known  unto 
all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues,  and  people, 
unto  whom  this  work  shall  come,  that  we, 
through  the  grace  of  God  the  Father,  and 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  have  seen  the  plates 
which  contain  this  record,  which  is  a  record 
of  the  people  of  Nephi,  and  also  of  the  La- 


BOOK  OF  MOItMO>$» 


1343 


nianites,  their  brethren,  and  also  the  people 
of  Jared,  who  came  from  the  tower  of  which 
hath  been  spoken;  and  we  also  know  that 
they  have  been  translated  by  the  gift  and 
power  of  God  for  his  voice  hath  declared  it 
unto  us;  wherefore  we  know  of  a  surety 
that  the  work  is  true.  And  we  also  testify 
that  we  have  seen  the  engravings  which  are 
upon  the  plates;  and  they  have  been  shewn 
unto  us  by  the  power  of  God,  and  not  of 
man.  And  we  declare  with  words  of  sober¬ 
ness,  that  an  angel  of  God  came  down  from 
heaven,  and  he  brought  and  laid  before  our 
eyes,  that  we  beheld  and  saw  the  plates  and 
the  engravings  thereon;  and  we  know  that 
it  is  by  the  grace  of  God  the  Father  and  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  beheld  and  bear 
record  that  these  things  are  true;  and  it  is 
marvellous  in  our  eyes,  nevertheless,  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  commanded  us  that  we 
should  bear  record  of  it;  wherefore  to  be 
obedient  unto  the  commandments  of  God,  we 
bear  testimony  of  these  things.  And  we 
know  that  if  we  are  faithful  in  Christ,  we 
shall  rid  our  garments  of  the  blood  of  all 
men,  and  be  found  spotless  before  the  judg¬ 
ment  seat  of  Christ,  and  shall  dwell  with 
him  eternally  in  the  heavens.  And  the  hon¬ 
or  be  to  the  Father,  aud  to  the  Son,  and  to 
Holy  Ghost,  which  is  one  God.  Amen.” — - 


J  34 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer,  Martin 
Harris. 

Now  these  men  have  jeopardized  their 
lives  for  this  testimony,  and  one  of  them 
particularly  was  taken  in  Jackson  county, 
Missouri,  in  A.  D.  1833  (at  the  time  the 
church  was  driven  by  force  of  arms  from 
that  county,  and  a  number  of  them  inhumanly 
murdered)  by  a  band  of  murderers  composed 
of  the  principal  officers  of  the  county. — 
Priests  and  professors  of  religion  who  sur¬ 
rounded  him,  cocked  their  guns  and  pre¬ 
sented  them  at  his  breast,  commanding  him 
to  deny  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  confess  it 
to  be  a  fraud,  or  they  would  blow  him  thro7, 
promising  him  at  the  same  time  if  he  would 
deny  it  his  life  should  be  spared,  and  he 
should  be  protected  in  the  enjoyments  of 
his  rights  and  privileges  in  the  county, 
whereupon  he  lifted  up  his  hands  to  heaven 
and  said,  “The  Book  of  Mormon  is  the 
word  of  God.77  They  then  let  him  go. — 
Thus  when  death  and  judgment  with  all  its 
horrors  stared  him  in  the  face,  his  testimony 
was  the  same  as  is  written  above.  Again, 
these  are  men  of  unimpeachable  character, 
and  their  truth  and  veracity  on  other  sub¬ 
jects  have  never  been  called  in  question. — 
But  again,  on  the  last  page  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  is  recorded  the  testimony  of  eight 


book  of  mormon. 


135 


more  witnesses— it  is  as  follows:  “Be  it 
known  unto  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues 

t]”dtPTe0p  «nt0  ,whom  this  work  shall  come’ 
hat  .Joseph  Smith,  jr.,  the  translator  of  th* 

hithh^  ShTn  Unt°  Us  the  PIates  of>  which 
hath  been  spoken,  which  have  the  apnear- 

tahneCsaM  ,Td  ^  many  °f  the  ,ea'es  a* 

ivith  n  H  i  ms  tl,'anslutcd’  we  did  handle 
nith  our  hands;  and  we  also  saw  the  en¬ 
gravings  thereon,  all  of  which  have  the  an- 

Sr  r‘ffWOrk’  and  curious  wort 

w  j  h  111  t  lLS  we  bear  record  with 

shewn  unto  T*’  ^  the  Said  Smith  ha« 

and  know  o?  ’  °r  W°  h?ve  seen  and  hefted, 
mid  know  of  a  surety,  that  the  said  Smith 

And  we  'he  P  at6S  °f  Which  We  have  sPoken.' 

And  we  give  our  names  unto  the  world,  to 

ltness  unto  the  world  that  which  we  have 
seen 5  and  we  lip  nnt  u  ® 

of  it.”  Christian  Whitmer  jS’fvhl'™” 
Peter  Whiter,  jr.,  h!S 

^age,  Joseph  Smith,  sen.,  Hyrum  Smith  - 
Samuel  H.  Smith.  J  mun» 

I  would  here  remark  that  three  of  the  a- 
ame  witnesses,  viz:  Christian  Whitmer 
Peter  W  hitmer,  jr.,  and  Joseph  Smith  sen’ 

funded  ChaC  ;  .lhf7  aI1  died  i!1  the  west  sm- 
heir  last.  aLni,,mbers  of  their  friends,  and 
Ss  hel  ^ testimony  was  the  same 
isis  heie  recorded.  I  would  further  add 


1 06 


EVIDENCES  IN  PIIOOF  OF  THE 


that  one  of  these  witnesses,  viz:  Hyrum 
Smith,  together  with  his  brother,  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.  the  translator  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  others  were  ta¬ 
ken  during  the  late  persecution  of  the  church 
in  Missouri,  under  Gov.  Boggs’  extermina¬ 
ting  order;  by  the  officers  of  the  militia  of 
of  that  state  (to  whom  Governor  Boggs  com¬ 
mitted  the  authority  to  murder  as  many  as 
they  pleased  of  the  Mormons,  and  drive  the 
rest  out  of  the  state  forthwith,)  and  after 
holding  what  they  called  a  court  martial — 
but  what  I  should  call  a  court  of  Inquisition — 
(for  the  court  was  composed  of  seventeen 
preachers  and  nineteen  commissioned  officers 
and  the  prisoners  were  not  admitted  into  it  at 
all — they  were  not  allowed  to  plead,  intro¬ 
duce  evidence,  or  any  thing  else,)  finally  the 
august  body  came  to  a  decision,  which  was, 
that  at  eight  o’clock  the  next  morning,  these 
Prisoners,  viz:  Joseph  Smith,  jr.,  Hyrum 
Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  others,  should  be 
taken  unto  the  public  square  of  the  city  Far- 
west,  in  the  presence  of  their  families  and 
shot.  But  God  stirred  up  the  spirit  of  one 
of  the  members  of  this  exterminating  council, 
whose  name  was  Doniphan,  to  oppose  the 
execution  of  this  murderous  sentence.  Pie 
prevailed,  and  thus,  by  a  kind  providence 
these  men  were  preserved  from  an  untimely 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


137 


death  by  the  hands  of  murderers,  under  the 
name  of  preachers  of  the  gospel  and  com¬ 
missioned  officers,  of  the  state  militia.  They, 
were,  however,  afterward  loaded  with  irons, 
cast  into  prison  and  shut  up  in  the  dungeon 
where  they  remained  about  six  months,  but 
were  finally,  by  a  kind  Providence,  delivered 
and  set  at  liberty. 

Now,  in  the  midst  of  all  these  scenes  and 
under  these  trying  circumstances,  when  they 
knew  that  their  destruction,  as  far  as  man 
was  concerned,  was  determined  on,  their  tes¬ 
timony  invariably  was  that  “the  Book  of 
Mormon  was  true.”  Now  we  will  go  back 
and  take  a  review  of  this  whole  matter,  and 
see  what  has  been  proved. 

First;  It  has  been  proved  by  a  multiplici¬ 
ty  of  prohecies  that  the  children  of  Israel, 
the  litteral  seed  of  Jacob,  who  have  been  lit- 
terally  scattered  and  sifted  among  all  the  na¬ 
tions  of  the  earth,  will  be  laterally  gathered 
together  from  among  all  nations  where  they 
have  been  scattered  for  a  long  time,  unto 
their  own  lands,  which  God  gave  unto  their 
fathers  by  promise;  at  which  time  every  na-' 
tion  and  kingdom  of  the  earth  who  will  not 
serve  them  shall  perish  and  be  utterly  wasted. 

Secondly;  It  has  been  proved  that  at  the 
commencement  of  this  gathering  God  will  set 
up  an  ensign  for  the  nations,  and  a  standard 


138 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  TIIE 


for  the  people,  and  will  set  a  sign  among  them 
at  which  time  he  will  send  many  fishers  to  fish 
the  children  of  Israel  from  among  the  gen¬ 
tiles  and  out  of  the  cold  streams  of  spiritual 
Babylon.  And  afterwards  he  will  send  many 
hunters  to  hunt  them  from  every  mountain 
and  from  every  hill,  and  out  of  the  holes  of 
the  rod  s;  and  these  fishers  and  hunters  are 
to  be  those  who  have  escaped  the  corruptions 
that  are  in  the  world  through  lust;  and  these 
God  will  send  to  the  nations,  to  Tarshish, 
Pul  and  Lud,  that  draw  the  bow  to  Tubal  and 
Javan,  to  the  Isles  afar  off  that  have  not 
heard  of  his  fame  neither  seen  his  glory,  and 
they  shall  declare  his  glory  among  the  gen¬ 
tiles.  And  they  shall  bring  all  the  children 
of  Israel  for  an  offering  unto  the  Lord,  out 
of  all  nations,  upon  horses,  and  in  chariots, 
and  in  litters,  ( or  coaches,)  and  upon  mules, 
and  upon  swift  beasts,  to  God's  holy  moun¬ 
tain  Jerusalem, *whe re  their  seed  and  their 
name  will  remain  before  God  forever. 

Thirdly;  It  has  been  proven  that  this  en¬ 
sign,  standard  and  sign,  is  a  book  or  record 
containing  the  history  of  a  branch  or  rem¬ 
nant  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  together  with  the 
great  thingsof  God’s  Law  written  to  Ephraim 
which  is  truth;  and  this  the  Lord  will  take 
out  of  the  earth  in  the  land  where  Ephraim 
dwells,  and  put  it  with  the  Bible — that  is — 


BOOK  OF  MORMON.  '  189 

publish  it  to  the  nations  where  the  Bible  was 
before — and  these  thus  becoming  one  in  the 
Lord’s  hand,  is  an  ensign  for  the  nations,  a 
standard  to  the  peole,  and  a  sign  set  among 
them;  and  the  messengers,  fishers  and  hun¬ 
ters  referred  to  above,  being  officers  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  are  to  bear  this  ensign, 
maintain  this  standard,  and  show  forth  this 
sign  among  the  people. 

Fourthly;  It  has  been  proven  that  Ephraim 
dwells  in  America,  consequently  this  Book 
would  be  taken  out  of  the  earth  in  America; 
also  that  this  ensign  would  be  lifted  up  on  the 
mountains  of  America,  it  being  the  land  shad¬ 
owing  with  wings  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethi¬ 
opia  from  Jerusalem,  at  which  time  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  world  and  dwellers  on  the 
earth  will  be  called  upon  to  both  see  the  en¬ 
sign  and  hear  the  trumpet  which  the  officers 
bearing  the  ensign  will  blow:  also  that  all 
the  people  who  will  not  sec  this  ensign  and 
hear  this  trumpet  shall  be  cut  off  and  destroy¬ 
ed,  insomuch  that  they  shall  be  left  for  the 
fowls  of  the  mountains  to  summer  upon,  and 
for  the  beasts  of  the  earth  to  winter  upon, 
and  at  the  same  time  Israel  is  to  be  brought 
as  a  present  unto  the  Lord  of  hosts. 

Fifthly;  It  has  been  proven  that  America 
was  a  promised  land  to  Joseph,  as  the  land 
of  Canaan  waste  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob, 


110  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 

and  that  a  branch  of  Joseph’s  posterity  was 
to  pass  over  the  boundaries  of  their  first  in¬ 
heritance  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  go  over 
the  sea;  also  that  they  did  leave  Jerusalem 
in  the  days  of  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  by  God’s 
commandment,  and  came  to  this  land  which 
was  before  inhabited  by  a  wealthy  nation, 
who  dwelt  without  care,  having  neither  gates 
nor  bars,  and  dwelt  alone.  But  God  said  to 
them,  (the  branches  of  Joseph’s  posterity,) 
fcI  will  scatter  into  all  winds  them  that  are  in 
the  uttermost  corners  thereof,  and  will  bring 
their  calamity  from  all  sides  thereof;  and 
their  camels  shall  be  a  booty  and  the  multi¬ 
tude  of  their  cattle  a  spoil  unto  you.’  Also 
that  God  did  here  reveal  to  them  the  great 
things  of  his  law,  and  it  was  written  and  final¬ 
ly  hid  in  the  earth;  but  to  come  forth  again 
out  of  the  earth  for  the  restoration  of  the  rem¬ 
nants  of  this  people,  who  have  dwindled  in 
unbelief  unto  their  former  blessings,  rights 
and  privileges,  because  they  are  of  the  house 
of  Israel. 

Sixthly;  It  has  been  proven  that  the  Lord 
would  make  use  of  men  as  instruments  in 
taking  this  book  out  of  the  earth  in  America, 
and  putting  it  with  the  Bible;  and  that  when 
it  should  be  taken  out  of  the  earth  before  it 
should  be  put  with  the  Bible,  or  published  to 
the  nations,  the  words  of  this  Book  men 


BOOK  OP  MORMON,  141 

•should  deliver  to  one  that  is  learned,  saying 
“read  this  I  pray  thee,”  and  the  learned 
should  acknowledge  his  inability  to  do  so.— 
Also,  that  the  Book  itself  should  be  delivered 
So  him  that  is  not  learned,  saying  “read  this 
1  pray  thee,”  and  he  should  say,  I  am  not 
learned;  that  then  the  Lord  should  do  a  mar¬ 
vellous  work  and  a  wonder  among  this  peo¬ 
ple,  insomuch  that  the  wisdom  of  the  wise 
should  perish  and  the  understanding  of  pru¬ 
dent  men  should  be  hidden  by  his  inspiring 
the  unlearned  man,  and  giving  him  wisdom 
and  power  from  on  high  to  read  and  translate 
;the  book, the  words  of  which  the  learned  could 
not  read.  And  even  the  deaf  should  hear  the 
words  of  the  Book,  and  the  eyes  of  the  blind 
should  see  out  of  ohsuritv  and  out  of  darkness, 
and  the  meek  should  increase  and  their  joy 
should  be  in  the  Lord,  and  the  poor  among 
men  should  rejoice  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel. 
And  that  in  a  little  while  Lebanon,  (a  forest 
in  Palestine,)  should  be  turned  into  a  fruitful 
held,  and  the  fruitful  field  (of  the  gentiles) 
should  be  esteemed  as  a  forest;  and  the  chil-' 
dren  of  Jacob  should  sanctify  the  Holy  One 
of  Jacob,  and  shall  fear  the  God  of  Israel. 
They  also  that  erreJ  in  spirit  should  come 
to  understanding,  and  they  that  murmured 
should  learn  doctrine. 

Seventhly;  It  has  been  proven  that  this  is 


142 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


the  generation  in  the  which  all  these  things 
shall  be  fulfilled;  there  having  been  signs 
seen  in  the  sun  and  in  the  moon  and  in  the 
-stars*  In  this  generation,  also,  there  have 
been  seen  wonders  in  the  heavens  above  and 
in  the  earth  beneath;  blood,  and  fire,  and 
pillars  of  smoke.  And  on  the  earth  there 
has  been  distress  of  nations  with  perplexity; 
the  sea  and  the  wares  roaring  and  men's 
hearts  have  been  failing  them  for  fear  and 
for  looking  after  those  things  which  are  com¬ 
ing  on  the  earth;  and  Jerusalem  is  no  longer 
trodden  down  of  the  gentiles,  for  the  Jews  are 
returning  and  are  rebuilding  their  city,  there 
fore  the  times  of  the  gentiles  are  fulfilled 
and  their  fullness  is  come  in;  therefore  the 
Deliverer  has  gone  out  of  Zion  to  turn  away 
ungodliness  from  Jacob,  and  to  make  the 
new  covenant  with  the  house  of  Israel  and 
with  the  house  of  Judah  and  take  away  their 
sins.  Which  Deliverer  is  the  Priesthood  and 

authority  of  Jesus  Christ  conferred  on  the 

•/ 

officers  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  who  are  to 
bear  the  ensign,  maintain  the  standard  and 
shew  forth  the  sign  among  the  people,  de¬ 
claring  God's  glory  among  the  gentiles; 
while  they  fish  Israel  and  hunt  them  from 
the  mountains  and  hills  and  holes  of  the  rocks. 
Therefore  God  has  taken  a  Book  or  record 
(containing  the  history  of  a  branch  or  rem- 


SiOOK  OF  MORMON. 


143 


mant  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph  and  the  great 
.things  of  God's  law  written  to  Ephraim, 
which  is  truth,)  out  of  the  earth  in  America, 
and  put  it  with  the  Bible,  that  is,  has  publish¬ 
ed  it  to  the  nations  as  the  Bible  was  before; 
which  is  the  ensign  these  officers  bear  and 
the  standard  they  maintain  and  the  sign  they 
show  forth  among  the  people. 

Eighthly;  It  has  been  proven  that  the  Book 
of  Mormon  is  this  Book,  and  the  Elders  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  day 
Saints  are  those  ofhcers,  messengers,  fishers, 
hunters,  &c.,  by  the  following  testimony. 
First,  it  come  forth  at  the  time  spoken  of  by 
the  prophecies,  viz;  in  this  generation  >si nee 
the  signs  were  seen  in  the  sun,  &c.  Second, 
it  came  forth  in  America  and  has  been  lifted 
up  as  an  ensign  on  the  mountains  of  this  land; 
the  land  shadowing  with  wings  which  is  be¬ 
yond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia  from  Jerusalem, 
also  where  Ephraim  dwells,  a  multitude  of 
nations  in  the  midst  of  the  earth.  Third,  it 
contains  the  history  of  a  branch  or  remnant 
of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  and  says  they  came 
out  of  Jerusalem  in  the  days  of  Jeremiah  the 
prophet  by  God?s  commandment.  It  also 
contains  a  sketch  of  the  history  of  a  wealthy 
nation  who  dwelt  without  care  upon  this  land, 
for  they  had  neither  gates  nor  bars  and  dwelt 
alone,  but  were  all  destroyed  just  before  the 


144 


EVIDENCES  IN  PKOCF  OF  THE 


arrival  of  the  remnants  of  Joseph,  who  pos¬ 
sessed  their  cattle  as  a  spoil,  &c.  Fourth,, 
it  contains  the  great  things  of  God's  law  writ¬ 
ten  to  Ephraim,  and  is  counted  a  strange 
thing.  Fifth,  it  contains  the  law,  words  and 
commandments  of  God,  which  is  truth,  and 
it  sprung  out  of  the  Earth.  Sixth,  in  it  is 
written  the  scheme  or  way  of  salvation,  and 
the  earth  opened  and  they  brought  it  forth. 
Seventh,  it  contains  the  words  of  a  people 
who  possessed  the  light  of  God's  revelations 
and  the  power  of  his  kingdom,  consequently 
was  Ariel  the  Lion  of  God  and  they  were 
brought  down,  but  now  speak  out  of  the 
ground  and  their  speech  whispers  out  of  the 
dusk  Eighth,  at  its  coming  forth  the  words 
were  delivered  to  the  learned,  who  could  not 
read  them,  and  the  Book  was  delivered  to  the 
unlearned  and  the  Lord  inspired  the  unlearn¬ 
ed  and  gave  him  wisdom  and  power  from  on 
high — with  the  means  which  was  before  pre¬ 
pared — to  read  and  translate  it,  thus  making 
the  wisdom  of  the  wise  to  perish  and  the  un¬ 
derstanding  of  the  prudent  to  be  hid.  Ninth, 
immediately  after  it  was  translated  God  sent 
a&  holy  angel  from  the  midst  of  heaven,  with 
the  Priesthood  and  authority  of  Jesus  Christ, 
to  preach  the  everlasting  Gospel  unto  them 
who  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation, 
kindred,  tongue  and  people,  saving,  with  a 


BOOK  OF  MORMON, 


148 


loud  voice,  fear  God  and  give  glory  to  him* 
for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  come;  and 
worship  him  that  made  heaven  and  earth, 
and  the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of  water.  And 
this  Priesthood  and  authority  has  been  con¬ 
ferred  upon  many  men,  v'and  will  be  confer¬ 
red  upon  many  more,)  who  have  escaped  tho 
corruptions  that  are  in  the  world  through 
lust.  And  these  have  been  ser}t  to  the  na¬ 
tions  and  are  declaring  God’s  glory  among 
the  gentiles,  and  fishing  Israel,  and  they  will 
hunt  them  from  the  mountains  and  from  the 
hills,  and  from  the  holes  of  the  rocks,  and 
bring  them  for  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  out 
of  all  nations  unto  their  own  land.  And  this 
Priesthood  and  authority  of  Jesus  Christ  corn 
ferred  on  these  men  is  the  deliverer  come 
out  of  Zion  to  turn  away  ungodliness  from 
Jacob,  and  to  make  a  covenant  with  them  and 
take  away  their  sins,  &c. 

And  these  are  the  officers  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  sent  forth  bearing  the  Book  of  Mor¬ 
mon  and  the  Bible  as  an  ensign  for  the  na¬ 
tions  and  as  a  standard  to  the  people,  and  as 
a  sign  set  among  them  and  by  the  authority 
of  the  priesthood  conferred  on  them  by  the 
angels,  the  deaf  are  made  to  hear  the  words 
of  the  book,  and  the  eyes  of  the  blind  to  see 
out  of  obscurity  and  out  of  darkness,  and 
the  meek  increase  and  their  joy  is  in 


146 


EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE 


Lord,  and  the  poor  among  men  rejoice  in 

the  holy  one  of  Israel,  and  they  that  erred 

in  spirit  have  come  to  understanding,  and 

they  that  murmured  have  learned  doctrine. 
•/ 

And  the  Jews  have  began  to  return  to  Jeru¬ 
salem.  Therefore  Lebanon  will  soon  be 
turned  into  a  fruitful  field,  and  then  the 
seorner  will  be  consumed  and  all  that  watch 
for  iniquity.  %  They  that  make  a  man  an  of¬ 
fender  for  a  word  and  lay  a  snare  for  him 
that  reproveth  in  the  gate  and  turn  aside  the 
just  for  a  thing  of  naught,  will  be  cut  off; 
and  then  the  fruit  fulfilled  will  be  esteemed 
as  a  forest. 

Again,  tenth; — The  history  of  this  Book 
is  corroborated  by  various  accounts  of  the 
ruins  of  ancient  works  found  in  America, 
and  published  since  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
;and  recorded  in  the  History  of  American 
Antiquities,  by  Josiah  Priest. 

Eleventh; — It  is  also  corroborated  by  the 
traditions  of  the  Indians  of  various  tribes, 
and  recorded  by  Mr.  Boudinot  and  various 
other  authors  of  the  best  character. 

Twelfth; — The  divine  authenticity  of  this 
Book  is  established  by  the  fulfilment  of  va¬ 
rious  prophecies  contained  in  it,  since  it  was 
published  in  A.  D.  1830. 

Thirteenth; — It  is  proved  by  a  prophesy 
of  Enoch,  the  seventh  from  Adam,  recorded 


BOOK  OF  MORMON. 


147 


in  a  book  bearing  his  name,  found  in  Abys¬ 
sinia  at  the  close  of  the  last  century,  and 
translated  since  the  Book  of  Mormon  was 
published,  by  a  bishop  of  the  Church  of  Eng¬ 
land. 

Fourteenth; — The  truth  of  this  Book  is 
established  by  as  positive  living  testimony  as 
w'as  ever  given  of  any  truth  God  ever  re¬ 
vealed  to  man.  And  this  testimony  is  given 
by  men  who  have  been  whipt,  robbed,  plun¬ 
dered,  imprisoned  and  shot  at,  and  wrhose 
blood  has  crimsoned  freedom’s  soil, To  test 
the  depth  of  their  sincerity. 


PART  SECOND* 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED  AND  REFUTEDo 

Having  proved  the  Book  of  Mormon  to 
be  verily  true,  and  a  Divinely  inspired  re¬ 
cord,  come  forth  in  fulfilment  of  prophesy 
by  an  abundance  of  incontrovertible  testimo¬ 
ny,  I  next  proceed  to  answer  the  objec¬ 
tions  commonly  urged  against  it.  First — it 
is  argued  that  the  Bible  contains  all  that  God 
ever  did  reveal  to  man;  hence  the  Book  of 
Morman  is  an  imposition,  because  it  pur¬ 
ports  to  be  a  revelation  from  God. 

In  answer  to  this,  I  would  remark  that,  in 
looking  over  the  Old  Testament  prophecies, 
I  find  something  like  fourteen  books  actual¬ 
ly  quoted  by  the  prophets,  which  are  not 
found  in  our  English  Bible.  They  are  as 
follows,  viz:  The  Book  of  Jasher,  Joshua, 
10th  chap.  13th  verse,  2  Samuel,  1st  chap. 
18th  versfe,  the  Book  of  the  Wars  of  the 
Lord,  Numbers  21st  chap.  14th  verse,  the 
Book  of  the  Acts  of  Solomon,  1st  Kings, 
11th  chap.  41st  verse,  the  Book  of  Samuel 
the  Seer,  the  Book  of  Nathan  the  Prophet, 


150 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


and  the  Book  of  Gad,  the  Seer,  1  Chronicles 
29th  chap.  29th  verse,  the  Book  of  Jehu  the 
eon  of  Hanani,  2  Chron.  20th  chap.  34th 
verse,  the  prophesy  of  Ahijah,  the  Shilonite, 
and  the  visions  of  Iddo  the  Seer,  against 
Jereboam  the  son  of  Nebat,  2  Chron,  9.h 
chap.  29th  verse,  the  Book  of  Shemaiah  the 
Prophet  and  the  Book  of  Iddo  the  Seer,  con¬ 
cerning  genealogies,  2  Chron.  12th  chap, 
15th  verse,  the  story  ( or  commentary,)  of 
the  Prophet  Iddo,  2  Chron.  13th  chap.  22  v., 
the  story,  (or  commentary))  of  the  Book  of 
the  Kings,  2  Chron.  24th  chap.  27th  verse, 
the  sayings  of  the  seers,  2  Chron.  33d  chap. 
19th  verse.  And  in  reading  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament  I  find  the  Apostles  quoting  several 
Epistles  which  are  not  found  among  the 
New  Testament  writings;  such  as  Pauls  Epis¬ 
tle  to  the  Corrinthians,  telling  them  not  to 
company  with  fornicators,  1  Corrinthians 
5th  chap.  9th  verse,  Jude’s  Epistle  to  the 
Saints  on  the  common  salvation,  3d  verse, 
& c.  Also  I  find  them  quoting  some  proph¬ 
ecies  that  are  not  to  be  found  in  the  Old  Tes¬ 
tament,  such  as  “  There  shall  come  out  of 
Zion  the  deliverer,  and  shall  turn  away  un¬ 
godliness  from  Jacob:  for  this  is  my  cove¬ 
nant  unto  them  when  I  shall  take  away  their 
sins.”  Romans  11th  chap.  26th,  27th  verses. 
Enoch,  the  seventh  frotfi  Adam  Prophecied 


AND  REFUTED. 


151 


of  these  sayings,  “  Behold  the  Lord  cometh 
with  ten  thousand  of  his  Saints  to  execute 
judgement  upon  all,  and  to  convince  all  that 
are  ungodly  among  them  of  all  their  ungod¬ 
ly  deeds,  which  they  have  ungodly  commit¬ 
ted,  and  of  all  their  hard  speeches  which  un¬ 
godly  sinners  have  spoken  against  him.” — - 
Jude  14  and  15  verses. 

From  the  foregoing  quotations  we  learn 
that  the  Bible  does  not  contain  all  the  reve¬ 
lations  God  ever  gave  to  men;  for  we  learn 
that  about  eighteen  Books  written  by  the 
Holy  Prophets  and  Apostles  are  actually 
wanting,  all  of  which  are  quoted  in  our  pre¬ 
sent  English  Bible.  This  being  the  case, 
there  may  be  five  times  as  many  more  which 
are  not  quoted;  hence  this  argument  against 
the  Book  of  Mormon  is  refuted. 

Secondly — It  is  argued  that  God  would 
never  give  any  more  revelations  to  man  af¬ 
ter  the  last  was  written  which  is  now  con¬ 
tained  in  the  Bible,  and  the  Book  of  Mor¬ 
mon  holds  forth  a  new  revelation  given  and 
written  since;  hence  the  Book  of  Mormon 
is  false.  In  answer  to  this  I  would  say  that, 
the  Gospel  itself  is  a  system  of  a  revelation 
from  first  to  last;  no  one  can  preach  it  un¬ 
less  they  are  inspired,  and  consequently  rev- 
elators — for  mark,  my  reader!  after  the  Sa¬ 
vior  had  chosen  the  twelve  Apostles  and  or- 


152 


OBJECTION'S  ANSWERED 


dained  them,  ( see  Mark,  3d  chap.  14th  verse, 
also  John  15th  chap.  16th  verse, )  and  even 
appeared  to  them  after  the  resurrection,  and 
showed  them  his  hands  and  his  feet  and  call¬ 
ed  upon  them  to  handle  him,  &c.,  ( see  Luke 
24th  chap.  39th  40th  verses;^  [they  not  be¬ 
ing  yet  qualified  to  Preach  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  in  his  name  among  all  na¬ 
tions,]  he  commanded  them  to  tarry  in  the 
city  of  Jerusalem  until  they  were  endowed 
with  Power  from  on  High.  (See  Luke  24th 
chap.  49th  verse.)  And  this  endowment  Pe¬ 
ter  tells  us  was  the  spirit  of  Prophesy,  Vis¬ 
ion,  &c.  (See  Acts  2d  chap,  from  the  14th 
to  the  18th  verse. )  Thus  we  see  that  the 
Savior  did  not  consider  them  qualified  to 
preach  the  Gospel  until  they  received  the 
Spirit  of  revelation.  After  this,  others  were 
called  to  the  same  Ministry,  but  they  had  to 
be  qualified  in  the  same  way,  viz:  called  and 
ordained,  then  endowed  with  the  Spirit  of  re¬ 
velation,  which  is  Power  from  on  High. — 
Saul,  who  is  also  called  Paul,  and  Barnabus 
for  an  instance.  (See  Acts  13th  chap.  1st, 
2d,  3d,  4th  verses.)  Again,*  no  one  can  re¬ 
ceive  the  Gospel  without  receiving  the  Spir¬ 
it  of  Prophesy,  which  is  the  Spirit  of  reve¬ 
lation — for  the  Angel  says  to  John  on  the 
Isle  of  Patmos,  “the  testimony  of  Jesus  is 
the  Spirit  of  Prophesy.  (See  Rev.  19th  chap. 


AND  REFUTED. 


153 


10th  verse./  And  Jesus  says  when  the 
“  Comforter  is  come,  whom  I  will  send  unto 
you  from  the  Father,  even  the  Spirit  of  Truth 
which  proceedeth  from  the  Father,  he  shall 
testify  of  me/7  (See  John  15th  chap.  26th 
verse./  And  Paul  says,  “No  man  can  call 
Jesus  Lord  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost.77  See  1st 
Cor.  12th  chap.  3d  verse.  And  Peter  says, 
“Repent  and  be  baptised  every  one  of  you 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission 
of  sins,  and  ye  shall  recieve  the  Gift  of  the^ 
Ploly  Ghost,  for  the  promise  is  unto  you  and 
to  your  children  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off, 
even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall 
call.77  See  Acts  2d  chap.  38th  and  39th 
verses.  Now  all  that  received  the  Gospel 
repented  and  were  baptized  for  the  remission 
of  sins,  received  the  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
which  testified  of  Jesus  and  by  which  they 
could  call  him  Lord;  and  this  is  that  Spirit  of 
Prophesy  and  Revelation;  hence,  all  that 
ever  received  the  Gospel  received  Revela¬ 
tion.  But  again,  Paul  informs  us  in  the  2d 
chap.  3d  verse  of  2d  Thess.,  that  there  is  to 
be  a  revelation  given  concerning  the  Man  of 
Sin  the  Son  of  Perdition,  before  the  second 
coming  of  Christ,  which  Man  of  Sin  is  evi¬ 
dently  the  Pope  of  Rome.  Again  we  are  in¬ 
formed  that  God  will  make  a  new  covenant 
with  the  house  of  Israel  and  with  the  house 


154 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


of  Judah,  and  take  away  their  sins,  (see  Jeiv 
31st  chap.  31st  verse,  also  Romans  11th  chap. 
27th  verse,)  which  has  not  yet  been  made, 
(Tor  the  house  of  Jacob  is  still  in  their  sins, 
as  all  very  well  know, )  and  this  covenant 
God  cannot  make  with  them  without  commu¬ 
nicating  something  to  them  at  the  time,  which 
communication  will  be  revelation,  for  a  cov- 
nant  is  a  bargain  between  parties;  and  as  it 
would  be  impossible  for  twro  parties  to  make 
m.  a  bargain  without  communicating  with  each 
other,  so  it  would  be  impossible  for  God  to 
make  a  covenant  with  Israel  without  com¬ 
municating  something  to  them  and  in  return 
receive  their  answer.  Now  God  complains 
that  they  brake  the  first  covenant  he  made 
with  them,  but  they  could  not  have  broken  it 
had  they  not  entered  into  it  by  agreeing  to 
fulfil  on  their  part  the  stipulations  of  it  &  the 
not  fulfilling  according  to  agreement.  See 
Exodus  19th  chap,  from  the  5th  to  8th  verse. 
Again  God  tells  us  by  the  pen  of  Ezekiely 
20th  chap.  34th,  35th,  36th,  37th  and  38th 
verses,  how  he  will  make  this  covenant  with 
them  and  take  away  their  sins.  He  says, 
“I  will  bring  you  out  from  the  people  and 
will  gather  you  out  of  the  countries  wherein 
ye  are  gathered,  wTith  a  mighty  hand,  and 
with  a  stretched  out  arm,  and  with  fury' pour¬ 
ed  out;  and  I  will  bring  you  into  the  wilder- 


AND  REFUTED. 


155 


ness  of  the  people,  and  there  will  I  plead 
with  you  face  to  face;  like  as  I  pleaded  with 
your  fathers  in  the  wilderness  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  so  will  I  plead  with  you,  saith  the 
Lord  God,  and  I  will  cause  you  to  pass  under 
the  rod  and  will  bring  you  into  the  bond  of 
the  covenant,  and  I  will  purge  out  from 
among  you  the  rebels, and  those  that  transgress 
against  me:  I  will  bring  them  forth  out  of 
the  country  where  they  sojourn,  and  they 
shall  not  enter  into  the  land  of  Israel;  and 
ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.77  Now 
we  are  only  to  inquire  how  God  brought  Is¬ 
rael  out  of  Egypt,  and  how  he  plead  with 
them  face  to  face  in  the  wilderness  of  the 
land  of  Egypt  in  order  to  know  how  he  will 
do  when  he  makes  the  new  covenant  with 
them;  for  mark!  he  is  to  do  like  as  he  did  then. 
Hoseasays,12  c.  13  v.  uby  a  Prophet  the  Lord 
brought  Israel  up  out  of  Egypt,  and  by  a 
Prophet  was  he  preserved.”  Now  Moses 
was  that  Prophet,  and  God  plead  with  Israel 
face  to  face  by  the  Prophet  Moses.  There¬ 
fore  if  God  pleads  with  Israel  face  to  face 
in  the  wilderness  of  the  people  after  he  gath¬ 
ers  them  like  as  he  pleaded  with  their  fath¬ 
ers  in  the  wilderness  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
he  will  plead  with  them  face  to  face  by  a 
Prophet;  and  if  so,  he  will  give  them  a  rev¬ 
elation — for  says  the  Prophet  Amos,  3d  chap. 


156 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


7th  verse,  “Surely  the  Lord  God  will  do 
nothing,  but  he  revealeth  his  secrets  unto 
his  servants  the  Prophets.”  Again  it  is  said 
in  Isaiah,  1st  chap.  26th  verse,  speaking  of 
the  return  of  Israel  to  their  own  land  in  the 
last  days,  “  I  will  restore  thy  Judges  as  at  the 
first,  and  thy  counsellors  as  at  the  beginning; 
afterwards  thou  shalt  be  called  the  city  of 
righteousness,  the  faithful  city.”  We  have 
only  to  inquire  what  were  their  Judges  at 
the  first,  and  their  counsellors  at  the  begin¬ 
ning  in  order  to  know  what  they  will  be 
when  he  restores  them.  Now  Moses  was 
the  first  and  chief  Judge,  but  he  chose  able 
men  out  of  all  Israel,  and  made  them  heads 
over  the  people,  rulers  of  thousands,  rulers  of 
hundreds,  rulers  of  fifties,  and  rulers  of  tens; 
and  they  judged  the  people  at  all  seasons: — 
the  hard  cases  they  brought  unto  Moses,  but 
every  small  matter  they  judged  themselves. 
See  Exodus  18th  chap.,  25th  and  26th  ver¬ 
ses.  Moses  by  God’s  commandment  gather¬ 
ed  seventy  of  these  officers  together  round 
about  the  tabernacle  when  they  were  endow¬ 
ed  with  power  from  on  high  insomuch  that 
they  prophecied  and  did  not  cease.  (See 
Numbers,  11th  chapt.  16th,  24th  and  25th 
verses.)  From  this  we  learn  that  Israel's 
judges  at  the  first  and  counsellors  at  the  be¬ 
ginning  were  all  of  them  prophets  inspired 


AND  REFUTED. 


15? 

of  God,  hence  ( as  they  are  to  be  restored  as 
at  the  first  and  as  at  the  beginning)  they 
will  all  be  prophets  inspired  of  God  when  he 
restores  them  and  will  prophesy  and  not 
cease.  Again,  Jeremiah  33d  chapt.,  6  verse, 
speaking  of  the  final  return  from  captivity 
of  both  Israel  and  Judah,  says,  1  will  reveal 
unto  them  the  abundance  of  peace  and  truth. 
And  the  Saviour  says  there  is  nothing  secret 
wrhich  shall  not  be  revealed,  neither  hid,  that 
shall  not  be  made  known.  And  Isaiah 
speaking  of  the  everlasting  covenant  which 
he  will  make  with  Israel  when  he  gathers 
them  says,  “Their  seed  shall  be  known 
among  the  gentiles  and  their  offspring  among 
the  people.”  (See  Isaiah,  6th  chapt.,  9th 
verse.) 

Now  reader,  let  me  ask,  can  any  man 
tell  whether  the  Indians  of  America  are  of 
Israel,  unless  the  Lord  should  reveal  it? — 
Therefore  this  was  a  hidden  mystery  which 
was  necessary  to  be  revealed  in  time  for 
their  gathering,  &c.  Thus  I  have  produced  * 
an  abundance  of  testimony  in  proof  that  God 
would  give  more  revelation  even  after  the 
last  now  contained  in  the  bible  was  written, 
hence  that  objection  against  the  Book  of 
Mormon  also  is  refuted.  Thirdly,  it  is  argued 
that  the  canon  of  scripture  in  the  bible  is 
full  and  complete  and  we  need  no  mare— 


158 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


therefore  the  Book  -of  Mormon  cannot  be 
true,  for  God  would  not  give  that  which  w*e 
do  not  need.  In  answer  to  this  I  would  just 
remark  that  we  need  all  that  God  sees  fit  to 
give,  and  I  have  already  proven  that  he 
would  give  more,  therefore  this  objection  is 
already  refuted;  but  to  make  it  more  plain, 
I  will  proceed  further.  The  bible,  though 
it  might  contain  a  full  and  complete  record 
of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  and  of  the  ordinan¬ 
ces  and  principles  of  the  gospel,  yet  it 
could  not  preach  the  gospel  neither  adminis¬ 
ter  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  for  it  is 
written,  Romans  10th  chapt.,  14th  and  15th 
verses,  “How  then  shall  they  call  on  him  on 
whom  they  have  not  believed,  and  how  shall 
they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they  have  not 
heard,  and  how  shall  they  hear  without  a 
preacher,  and  how  shall  they  preach  except 
'they  be  sent.7*’  And  I  would  add,  how  shall 
they  be  sent  without  a  revelation?  I  answer, 
they  could  not — hence  the  necessity  of  every 
generation  receiving  revelation  in  order  that 
a  living  ministry  might  be  kept  up  to  preach 
the  gospel,  and  administer  the  ordinances 
thereof  unto  the  children  of  men  who  will  be¬ 
lieve  that  they  might  obtain  salvation. 

Now  suppose  that  every  person  in  all  the 
world  had  a  bible  printed  in  their  own  lan¬ 
guage,  and  could  read  and  understand  it,  and 


15d 


AND  REFUTED. 

they  should  read  therein  that  God  sent  men 
and  commanded  them  to  preach  and  baptize 
with  a  promise  that  they  that  believed  and 
were  baptized  should  be  saved,  and  the  rest; 
should  be  damned.  And  then  again,  read 
that  these  men  preached, saying  “Repent  and 
be  baptized,  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and 
ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost; 
for  the  promise  is  unto  you  and  your  chip 
dreir,  and  all  them  afar  off,  even  as  many  as 
the  Lord  our  God  shall  call.”  What  good 
would  all  these  promises  do  them  so  long  as 
they  were  on  condition  of  being  baptized  and 
there  were  no  legally  authorized  officers  to 
adm’a’ster  the  baptism. 

Christ  never  sent  the  bible  to  preach  the' 
gospel,  but  sent  certain  men  who  were  nor 
commanded  to  write  the  gospel,  but  to  preach 
it  to  every  creature  in  all  the  world,  and 
some  of  them  ( not  all)  saw  fit  to  write  an 
account  of  their  travels,  labors,  &c.;  giving 
sketches  of  their  preaching  and  doctrine 
which  falling  into  the  hands  of  after  gener¬ 
ations,  they  were  collected  together  and  com¬ 
piled  with  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  and 
called  the  bible,  or  sacred  book.  Now,  to 
say  that  this  compilation  is  sufficient,  and  we 
need  no  more,  is  to  charge  God  foolishly,  for 
by  it  he  has  made  our  salvation  dependent 


160 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


upon  our  yielding  obedience  to  certain  ordi¬ 
nances  which  alone  can  be  administered  by 
officers  commissioned  by  him;  and  yet  none 
have  been  commissioned  for  at  least  1700 
years,  and  we  are  not  to  believe  that  he  will 
ever  commission  any  more.  Therefore  ho 
has  made  our  salvation  dependent  on  our  do¬ 
ing  what  he  has  put  it  out  of  our  power  to 
do.  But  again;  If  a  revelation  given  to 
one  generation  is  sufficient  to  save  the  people 
of  another  generation,  why  was  not  the  rev¬ 
elation  given  to  Adam  and  Enoch,  sufficient 
to  save  Noah  and  his  family.  It  saved  Enoch 
and  Adam — why  was  it  not  sufficient  to 
save  Noah?  I  answer;  Because  he  belonged 
to  another  generation,  and  therefore  his  cir¬ 
cumstances  were  different.  Again,  why  was 
not  the  revelation  given  to  Noah  sufficient  lo 
save  Lott?  Why  was  it  necessary  for  God 
to  send  angels  with  a  new  revelation  to  Lott  ? 
Because  if  he  had  built  an  ark  as  Noah  did, 
it  would  not  have  saved  him  and  his  family 
from  being  burnt  up  with  the  Sodomites.  And 
why  was  not  a  revelation  given  to  Moses  suf¬ 
ficient  for  the  saints  in  the  days  of  the  Apos¬ 
tles?  Because,  had  they  killed  a  lamb  and 
sprinkled  the  door  posts  of  their  doors  with 
blood,  (acccording  to  Moses  commandment 
which  he  gave  to  the  children  of  Israel  in 
Egypt,)  when  the  Roman  army  besieged  Je* 


AND  refuted. 


161 


rusalem,  instead  of  flecingout  of  the  city,  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  commandment  of  Christ,  they 
would  not  have  escaped  the  destruction  that 
then  came  upon  the  Jews.  And  now,  you 
ask,  why  will  not  a  revelation  given  in  the 
days  of  the  Apostles  be  sufficient  to  save  the 
people  of  this  generation?  I  answer;  be¬ 
cause  our  circumstances  are  different.  We 
belong  to  a  different  generation;  Israel  is  to 
be  gathered  in  this  generation  instead  of  be¬ 
ing  scattered,  and  the  gentiles  are  to  be  des¬ 
troyed  instead  of  having  the  kingdom  of  God 
given  unto  them;  and  there  is  to  be  deliver¬ 
ance  where  there  was  destruction  then,  and 
distruction  where  there  was  deliverance  then; 
therefore  it  is  necessary  for  a  new  revelation 
to  be  given  telling  us  when  and  where  to  go 
for  deliverance  and  to  escape  destruction. 
And  in  fact,  all  the  Prophets  and  Apostles 
have  given  us  to  understand,  that  the' dispen¬ 
sation  of  the  fullness  of  times  for  the  gath¬ 
ering  of  Israel,  will  be  the  greatest  day  for 
revelation  and  miracles  that  the  world  ever 

witnessed,  and  it  is  all  needed,  for  God  has 
» 

promised  it. 

And  thus  I  have  produced  an  abundance  of 
evidence  that  it  is  necessary  that  we  should 
receive  other  revelations  besides  those  con¬ 
tained  in  the  Bible;  therefore  that  ohjec- 

6  '  . 


162 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


fioft  against  the  book  of  Mormon  is  also  refu¬ 
ted. 

Fourthly,  it  is  claimed  that  “God  has  im¬ 
peratively  forbidden  any  addition  to  what  is 
written  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  and 
the  Book  of  Mormon  is  an  addition,  therefore 
we  must  reject  it.”  In  proof  of  this  claim 
the  following  texts  are  quoted  : — Deut.  4th 
ehapt.  2nd  verse;  and  Revelation  22nd  chapt. 
18th  verse;  the  first  reads  as  follows:  Moses 
speaking  to  the  children  of  Israel  says,  “You 
shall  not  add  unto  the  words  w7hich  I  com¬ 
mand  you,  neither  shall  ye  diminish  aught 
from  it;”  and  the  second  reads  as  follows: 
“For  I  testify  unto  every  man  that  heareth 
the  words  of  the  prophesy  of  this  Book,  if 
any  man  shall  add  unto  these  things,  God  shall 
add  unto  him  the  plagues  that  are  written  in 
this  Book.”  In  answer  to  this  I  would  re¬ 
mark,  that  these  two  texts  say  nothing  con¬ 
cerning  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  at  alL 
The  one  speaks  of  Moses  writings  only,  not 
at  all  including  the  writings  of  the  Prophets* 
for  they  were  not  the  commands  of  Moses, 
and  were  not  in  existence  when  Moses  wrote; 
and  the  other  speaks  exclusively  of  the 
“words  of  the  Prophesy  of  this  Book,”  (the 
Book  of  the  revelation  of  St.  John,)  which 
was  not  then  compiled  with  any  other  book 
under  heaven.  Therefore,  if  these  texts 


AND  REFUTED. 


163 


destroy  the  validity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
they  also  destroy  the  validity  of  every  Book 
in  the  Bible,  the  writings  of  Moses  and  the 
Book  of  the  Revelation  of  St.  John  only  ex¬ 
cepted.  But  I  would  here  state,  that  the 
Book  of  Mormon  is  not  an  addition  to  the 
writings  of  Moses  neither  to  the  Book  of  the 
Revelation  of  St.  John;  but  it  contains  the 
great  things  of  God’s  law  written  to  Ephraim, 
(see  Hosea  8th,  12th,)  a  remnant  of  the  tribe 
of  Joseph  dwelling  in  America.  But  it  may 
be  asked,  “what  would  be  adding  to  these 
things'?”  I  answer,  to  write  any  thing  that 
was  not  therein  contained  when  the  above 
texts  were  penned  and  publish  it  as  the  wri¬ 
ting  of  Moses,  or  as  the  words  of  the  proph¬ 
esy  of  the  Book  of  the  Revelation  of  St.  John, 
would  be  “adding  unto  these  things.”  But 
to  write  the  revelation  given  unto  me  or  any 
other  person  since  then  or  before,  and  pub¬ 
lishing  it  as  such,  would  not  be  “adding  unto 
those  things.”  Therefore,  writing  the  rev¬ 
elations  which  God  gave  unto  the  Nephites, 
the  seed  of  Joseph  in  America,  and  publish¬ 
ing  it  as  such,  is  not  adding  unto  the  writings 
of  Moses  neither  to  the  Book  of  the  revela¬ 
tion  of  St.  John.  Hence  this  objection  against 
the  Book  of  Mormon  is  also  refuted. 

Fifthly;  It  is  asserted  that  “the  Book  of 
Mormon  comes  in  contact  with  the  other 


164 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


scriptures,  and  is  intended  to  do  them  away.” 
To  sustain  this  assertion  the  New  Testament 
is  held  up  as  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
the  Book  of  Mormon  as  another  Gospel;  and 
then  the  following  passage  is  quoted  from 
Paul's  writings  to  the  Galatians:  1st  chapt. 
8th  9th  verses,  “But  though  w7e,  or  an  angel 
from  Heaven,  preach  any  other  gospel  unto 
you  than  that  which  we  have  preached  unto 
you,  let  him  be  accursed.  As  we  said  be- 
fore,  so  say  I  now  again,  if  any  man  preach 
any  other  gospel  unto  you  than  that  ye  have 
received,  let  him  he  accursed.”  In  answer¬ 
ing  this,  I  will  first  inquire  of  Paul  tvhat  the 
gospel  he  preaxhed  consited  of,  and  how  he 
obtained  it.  Now,  the  wrord  gospel,  in  its 
first  and  simple  signification  is,  glad  tidings; 
therefore  there  may  be  many  gospels  because 
there  may  be  glad  tidings  proclaimed  concer¬ 
ning  many  things.  It  w~as  glad  tidings  to 
the  Patriots  of  the  Revolution  when  America 
■was  proclaimed  free  and  independent;  it  was 
glad  tidings  to  Gen.  Wolf,  as  he  lay  panting 
for  breath  mortally  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Quebec,  when  it  w’as  proclaimed  in  his  hear¬ 
ing  that  the  enemy  was  routed;  it  tvas  glad 
tidings  to  the  Whigs  when  the  news  wTas  pub¬ 
lished  that  Harrison  was  elected  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  Van  Buren  defeated, 
at  the  late  election;  but  the  glad  tidings  that 


AND  REFUTED. 


165 


Paul  preached,  was  the  way  of  salvation  re¬ 
vealed  to  man  through  Jesus  Christ.  Hear 
what  he  says  about  it.  Gal.  1st  chapt.  11th 
and  l*2th  verses,  “But  1  certify  you  brethren, 
that  the  gospel  which  was  preached  of  me, 
is  not  after  man,  for  I  neither  received  it  of 
man,  neither  was  I  taught  it  but  by  the  rev¬ 
elation  of  Jesus  Christ.”  Again,  1st  Thess. 
1st  chapt.  5th  verse,  “For  our  gospel  came 
not  unto  you  in  word  only  but  also  in  power 
and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  much  assur¬ 
ance.”  Again,  Rom.  1st  chapt.  16th  and 
17th  verses,  “For  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  for  it  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth; 
to  the  Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Greek,  for 
therein  is  the  righteousness  of  God  revealed 
from  faith  to  faith,  as  it  is  written  the  just 
shall  live  by  faith.” 

Now,  from  these  quotations  we  learn  that 
the  gospel  which  Paul  preached,  was  not  a 
book  which  could  be  delivered  by  man  to  his 
fellow  man  without  the  commandment  of 
God,  but  something  given  him  of  God  and 
‘taught  him  by  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ.’ 
He  also  informs  us  that  it  did  not  consist  “in 
word  only,  but  also  in  power  and  in  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  in  much  assurance,”  and  that  it 
consisted  of  the  power  of  God  given  unto  ev¬ 
ery  one  that  believed;  both  Jew  and  Greek, 


166 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


unto  their  salvation,  and  that  this  power  was 
given  them  by  revelation,  being  continued 
unto  them  making  known  the  righteousness 
of  God  as  fast  as  their  faith  increased  so  as 
to  receive  it,  “from  faith  to  faith, ”  until  they 
arrived  unto  salvation,  and  thus  “shall  the  just 
live  by  faith.”  And  though  some  of  the 
words  of  the  gospel  preached  by  Paul  are 
written  in  the  New  Testament,  yet  the  sav¬ 
ing  part  of  the  gospel,  viz:  the  Power  of 
God,  is  not  there,  neither  can  it  be  confined 
between  the  lids  of  any  book.  The  New 
Testament  then,  is  not  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  but  merely  a  record  of  the  gospel  as 
it  was  preached  by  the  Apostles,  believed, 
obeyed  and  enjoyed  by  the  primitive  saints 
upon  the  Eastern  continent.  The  Book  of 
Mormon  is  not  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  but 
merely  a  record  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
as  preached  by  the  disciples  of  Christ,  believ¬ 
ed,  obeyed  and  enjoyed  by  the  primitive 
saints  upon  this  continent. 

Both  these,  then,  will  serve  us  as  “ensam- 
ples  upon  whom  the  end  of  the  world  is 
come,”  that  we  may  know  whether  we  have 
believed  and  obeyed  the  true  gospel  or  a  per¬ 
verted  one.  If  we  have  embraced  the  true 
gospel  we  will  enjoy  those  blessings,  gifts 
and  powers  which  the  ancients  enjoyed  who 
embraced  the  same  gospel,  and  by  these  we 


AND  REFUTED. 


167 


can  know  the  true  gospel  from  the  counter¬ 
feit,  or  in  other  words,  the  gospel  of  Christ 
from  the  systems  of  men.  Now,  the  Book 
of  Mormon  does  not  come  in  contact  with 
the  other  scriptures,  but  agrees,  confirms  and 
establishes  them;  and  it  is  not  intended  to  do 
them  away,  but  to  build  them  up.  Whoever 
will  read  the  Book  of  Mormon  carefully  with¬ 
out  prejudice,  will  find  that  it  not  only  agrees 
with  the  other  scriptures  but  comes  in  direct 
fulfilment  of  prophecy,  and  that  it  contains 
some  of  the  most  sublime  truths  ever  reveal¬ 
ed  to  man;  and  that  too,  on  subjects  entirely 
original,  no  other  work  on  earth  containing 
sufficient  information  on  the  subject:  there¬ 
fore,  this  objection  also  is  refuted. 

Sixthly;  It  has  been  asserted  that  the  his¬ 
torical  part  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  was 
written  by  one  Solomon  Spalding  as  a  ro¬ 
mance,  and  entitled  ‘The  Manuscript  Found/ 
That  after  Spalding’s  death,  the  manuscript 
in  some  way  unknown,  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Sidney  Rigdon  who  added  the  religious  part, 
and  converted  it  into  what  is  now  called  “The 
Book  of  Mormon.”  This  assertion  is  sup¬ 
ported  by  what  is  said  to  be  the  testimony  of 
said  Spalding’s  widow,  Aaron  Wright,  Hen¬ 
ry  Lake,  John  Spalding  and  others.  These 
testimonies  are  recorded  in  a  book  entitled 
“Mormonism  Unveiled,”  first  edition.  The 


168 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


second  edition  is  entitled  “History  of  Mor- 
monism;”  published  by  E.  D.  Howe,  Paines- 
ville,  Ohio. 

This  book  was  first  got  up  by  one  D.  P. 
Hurlburt,  (who  was  cut  off  from  our  society 
for  adultery,  and  afterwards  put  under  bonds 
for  threatening  the  life  of  Brother  Smith,) 
but  he  being  so  notorious  a  character,  it  was 
thought  best,  (even  after  he  had  advertised 
in  the  papers  that  he  was  about  to  publish 
‘Mormonism  Unveiled/)  to  change  authors  & 
publish  under  the  name  of  Howe,  (a  printer 
in  Painesville,  Ohio,)  whose  mind  had  be¬ 
come  somewhat  chafed  because  his  own  wife 
and  sister  belonged  to  the  Church  of  the  Lat¬ 
ter  day  Saints.  So  Plowe  became  the  adop¬ 
ted  father  of  “Mormonism  Unveiled.” 

In  this  Book,  page  287,  it  is  stated  that,  “a 
messenger  was  despatched  to  look  up  the  wid¬ 
ow  of  Spalding,  who  was  found  residing  in 
Massachusetts,  and  that  she  stated  that  Spal¬ 
ding  had  a  great  variety  of  manuscripts,  and 
she  recollected  that  one  was  entitled  the 
“Manuscript  Found,”  but  of  its  contents  she 
had  no  distinct  knowledge.  While  they  lived 
in  Pittsburg,  she  thinks  it  was  taken  to  the 
printing  office  of  Patterson  &  Lambdin,  but 
whether  it  was  ever  brought  back  to  the 
house  again  she  is  quite  uncertain.  If  it  was 
however,  it  was  then  with  his  other  writings, 


AND  REFUTED. 


169 


in  a  trunk  which  she  had  left  in  Otsego  co." 
N.  Y.  It  is  stated  further,  that  “the  trunk 
referred  to,  was  subsequently  examined,  but 
the  manuscript  was  not  to  be  found  therein.'9 
Hence  it  is  inferred,  that  the  “Manuscript 
Found*’  was  not  returned  to  Spalding  from 
the  office  of  Patterson  &  Lambdin,  but  re¬ 
mained  there  for  years,  and  finally  by  some 
unknown  providence  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Sidney  Rigdon,  who  converted  it  into  what  is 
now  called  the  “Book  of  Mormon,"  with  an 
intention  of  palming  it  off  upon  this  genera¬ 
tion  as  a  new  Bible;  yet  he  did  not  know 
enough  to  alter  the  names  which  Spalding 
made  use  of,  but  left  them  precisely  as  they 
were  in  the  “Manuscript  Found." 

This  is  according  to  the  testimony  of  John 
Spalding,  John  N.  Miller,  Oliver  Smith  and 
others,  whose  testimony  is  recorded  in  “Mor- 
monism  Unveiled."  They  also  testify  that 
they  “spent  many  hours  in  hearing  Spalding 
read  his  manuscript  and  become  well  ac¬ 
quainted  with  its  contents,"  and  they  agree 
in  stating  that  “it  purportec^to  give  a  history 
of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel — that  they  were 
the  first  settlers  of  America  and  that  the  In¬ 
dians  are  their  descendants;"  and  then,  after 
giving  this  testimony  concerning  the  contents 
of  the  “Manuscript  Found,"  they  state  that 
“they  have  examined  the  ‘Book  of  Mormon9 


170 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


and  know  the  historical  part,  names,  &c. 
to  be  the  same.”  Now,  in  order  to  know  how 
much  confidence  we  ought  to  place  in  these 
men’s  testimony,  we  have  only  to  read  the 
‘‘Book  of  Mormon,”  which  will  convince 
any  man  that  these  men  have  testified  false¬ 
ly,  for  the  Book  of  Mormon  does  not  pretend 
to  give  any  account  of  the  lost  tribes  of  Is¬ 
rael,  but  gives  a  history  of  a  remnant  of  the 
tribe  of  Joseph  only. 

And  again;  any  person  who  will  read  the 
Book  of  Mormon  will  find  that  the  religious 
part  of  it  is  so  interwoven  with  the  history 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  seperate  them; 
to  take  away  the  religious  part  would  be  to 
destroy  the  history.  And  if  these  men  had 
read  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  fully  examin¬ 
ed  it  as  they  testify  they  have,  they  would 
have  learned  these  facts  and  thus  avoided  the 
disgrace  which  must  inevitably  come  upon 
them  when  the  public  are  made  acquainted 
with  these  facts. 

But  again;  there  is  what  is  said  to  be  “the 
widow  Spalding’s  testimony,”  published  first 
in  the  Boston  Recorder,  and  then  copied  in¬ 
to  other  papers  in  almost  all  parts  of  the 
Union.  This  article  was  headed  “Mormon 
Bible,”  and  signed  “Matilda  Davidson,”  (the 
widow  Spalding  having  married  another  hus¬ 
band  by  the  name  of  Davidson.)  In  this  tes- 


AND  REFUTED. 


171 


timony  she  is  made  to  say  positively,  that 
the  “Manuscript  Found”  was  carried  to  the 
printing  office  of  Patterson  &  Lambdin,  in 
Pittsburg,  and  returned  again  to  its  owner,” 
and  that  “since  Spalding’s  death  it  had  been 
by  her  carefully  preserved.”  She  also  states 
that  “Dr.  P*  Hulburt  was  deputed  as  a  mes¬ 
senger  from  Ohio  to  obtain  the  manuscript 
from  her;  that  he  brought  a  request  in  wri¬ 
ting  for  the  manuscript,  signed  by  John  Spal¬ 
ding,  Aaron  Wright  and  others,  of  New  Sa¬ 
lem,  who  were  her  old  neighbors.”  Now, 
this  statement  flatly  contradicts  what  is  said 
to  be  her  testimony  in  “Mormonism  Un¬ 
veiled”  concerning  the  “Manuscript  Found.” 
In  one  she  is  made  to  say  that  “she  knows 
not  what  has  become  of  it,  and  has  no  dis¬ 
tinct  knowledge  of  its  contents;”  and  in  the 
other,  that  “she  has  had  it  in  her  possession 
and  carefully  preserved  it  ever  since  Spal¬ 
ding’s  death,”  and  the  idea  is  carried  that 
she  let  said  Hulburt  have  it  and  that  it  was 
compared  with  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Here 
seems  to  be  some  knavery  or  crooked  work, 
and  no  wonder,  for  this  Hulburt  was  one  of 
the  most  notorious  rascals  in  the  western 
country.  He  was  first  cut  off  from  our  soci¬ 
ety  for  an  attempt  at  seduction  and  crime; 
and  secondly  put  under  bonds  in  Geauga  co., 
Ohio,  for  threatening  to  murder  Joseph  Smith, 


172 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


after  which  he  laid  a  deep  design  of  the  Spal¬ 
ding  romance  imposition,  in  which  he  has 
been  backed  by  evil  and  designing  men  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  and  sometimes 
by  those  who  do  not  wish  to  do  wrong  but 
who  are  ignorant  of  the  subject.  Now  what 
but  falsehood  could  be  expected  from  such  a 
person.  And  again,  if  there  is  such  a  man¬ 
uscript  in  existance  let  it  come  forward  at 
once  and  not  be  kept  in  the  dark. 

I  will  here  transcribe  a  piece  published  in 
the  Quincy,  (Illinois)  Whig,  on  this  subject. 

iiA  cunning  device  detected. — It  will  be 
recollected  that  a  few  months  since  an  article 
appeared  in  several  of  the  papers,  purporting 
to  give  an  account  of  the  origin  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  How  far  the  writer  of  that 
piece  has  effected  his  purpose,  or  what  his 
purposes  were  in  pursuing  the  course  he  has, 
I  shall  not  attempt  to  say  at  this  time,  but 
shall  call  upon  every  edndid  man  to  judge  in 
this  matter  for  himself  and  shall  content  my¬ 
self  by  presenting  before  the  public  the  other 
side  of  the  question  in  the  form  of  a  letter  as 
follows: — 

Copy  of  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  John  Ha¬ 
ven,  of  Holliston,  Middlesex  co.  Massachu¬ 
setts,  to  his  daughter  Elizabeth  Haven,  of 
Quincy,  Adams  co.  Illinois. 

Your  Brother  Jesse  passed  through  Mon- 


AND  REFUTED. 


173 


son  where  he  saw’  Mrs.  Davidson  and  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  McKinstry,  and  also  Dr.  Ely, 
and  spent  several  hours  with  them  during 
which  time  he  asked  them  the  following  ques¬ 
tions,  viz:— Did  you,  Mrs.  Davidson,  write  a 
letter  to  John  Storrs  giving  an  account  of  tho 
'  origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon?  A  ns.  I  did 
not.  Did  you  sign  your  name  to  it?  Ans. 
I  did  not,  neither  did  I  ever  see  the  letter  un¬ 
til  I  saw  it  in  the  Boston  Recorder,  the  let¬ 
ter  was  never  brought  to  me  to  sign.  Q. 
What  agency  had  you  in  having  this  letter 
sent  to  Mr.  Storrs?  Ans.  D.  R.  Austin  came 
to  my  house  and  asked  me  some  questions, 
took  some  minutes  on  paper,  and  from  those 
minutes  wrote  that  letter.  Ques.  Is  w’hat  is 
written  in  the  letter  true?  Ans.  In  the  main 
it  is.  Ques.  Have  you  read  the  Book  of 
Mormon?  Ans.  I  have  read  some  in  it. 
Ques.  Does  Mr.  Spalding’s  manuscript  and 
the  Book  of  Mormon  agree?  Ans.  I  think 
some  few  of  the  names  are  alike.  Ques. 
Does  the  manuscript  describe  an  indolatrous 
or  a  religious  people?  Ans.  An  idolatrous 
people.  Ques.  Where  is  the  manuscript? 
Ans.  Dr.  P.  Huiburt  came  here  and  took  it, 
said  he  would  get  it  printed  and  let  me  have 
one  half  of  the  profits.  Ques.  Has  Dr.  P. 
Huiburt  got  the  manuscript  printed?  Ans, 
I  received  a  letter  stating  that  it  did  not  read 


174 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


ste  they  expected,  and  they  should  not  print 
it.  Ques.  How  large  is  Mr.  Spalding’s  man¬ 
uscript?  A  ns.  About  one  third  as  large  as 
the  Book  of  Mormon. 

Question  to  Mrs.  McKinstrv;  How  old 
was  you  when  your  father  wrote  the  manu¬ 
script?  Ans.  About  five  years  of  age.  Ques. 
Did  you  ever  read  the  manuscript?  Ans. 
When  I  was  about  twelve  years  old  I  used  to 
read  it  for  diversion.  Ques.  Did  the  man¬ 
uscript  describe  an  idolatrous  or  a  religious 
people?  Ans.  An  idolatrous  people.  Ques. 
Does  the  manuscript  and  the  Book  of  Mor¬ 
mon  agree?  Ans.  I  think  some  of  the  names 
agree.  Ques.  Are  you  certain  that  some  of 
the  names  agree?  Ans.  I  am  not.  Ques. 
Have  you  ever  read  any  in  the  Book  of  Mor¬ 
mon?  Ans.  I  have  not.  Ques.  Was  your 
name  attached  to  that  letter  which  was  sent 
to  Mr.  John  Storrs,  by  your  order?  Ans. 
No.  I  never  meant  that  my  name  shouM  be 
there.”  You  see  by  the  above  questions  and 
answers,  that  Mr.  Austin  in  his  great  zeal  to 
destroy  the  Latter  Day  Saints,  has  asked  Mrs. 
Davidson  a  few  questions,  then  wrote  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Storrs  in  his  own  language  and  signed 
her  name  to  it  without  her  consent.  I  do 
not  say  that  the  above  questions  and  answers 
were  given  in  the  form  that  I  have  written 
them,  but  these  questions  were  asked  and 


AND  REFUTED. 


175 


these  answers  given.  Mrs.  Davidson  is  about 
seventy  years  of  age,  and  somewhat  broke. 

JOHN  HAVEN.” 

*‘This  may  certify,  that  I  am  personally 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Havens,  his  son  and 
daughter,  and  am  satisfied  they  are  persons 
of  truth.  I  have  also  read  Mr.  Havens’  let 
ter  to  his  daughter,  which  has  induced  me  to 
copy  it  for  publication;  and  I  further  say  the 
above  is  a  correct  copy  of  Mr.  Haven’s  letter. 

A.  BADLAM  ” 

The  above  reveals  the  mystery — brings  to 
light  the  hidden  things  of  dishonesty  and  sets 
this  matter  in  its  true  light  before  the  people. 
The  matter  stands  thus — Philaster  Hulburt, 
(who  was  called  Dr.  because  he  was  the  sev¬ 
enth  son  of  his  father,)  being  cut  off  from 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day 
Saints,  for  his  iniquity,  swore  vengeance  on 
Joseph  Smith,  the  President  of  the  Church, 
and  threatened  to  murder  him,  but  was  laid 
under  bonds  for  this.  He  then  laid  a  scheme 
for  a  speculation,  and  at  the  same  time  to  de¬ 
stroy  the  character  of  Joseph  Smith,  if  possi¬ 
ble,  and  prejudice  the  minds  of  the  people 
against  the  Book  of  Mormon.  In  this  he 
found  enough  to  assist  him  whose  characters 
were  similar  to  his  own,  and  evil  and  design¬ 
ing  men  whose  craft  would  be  in  danger  if 
truth  should  prevail  in  their  respective  vicin- 


176 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


ities,  and  others  were  influenced  to  assist  him 
who  were  deceived  by  his  lies  and  misrepre¬ 
sentations,  and  thus  having  a  sufficient  num¬ 
ber  to  assist  him  in  his  infamous  and  wicked 
design,  he  began  to  scour  the  country  in 
search  of  those  who  were  bigoted  and  wicked 
enough  to  testify  to  any  thing  which  would 
militate  against  “Mormonismf*  He  went  to 
Ontario  co.  for  this  purpose,  and  every  per¬ 
son  that  had  seen  or  heard  of  an  imperfection 
in  the  life  or  conduct  of  any  of  the  Smith  fam¬ 
ily,  their  testimony  was  forthwith  taken;  and 
those  that  knew  nothing  about  them,  but  yet 
believed  the  “Book  of  Mormon"  to  be  an 
imposition,  made  this  an  accusation  and  sign¬ 
ed  their  names  to  the  testimony  that  they 
were  not  entitled  to  credit:  and  why?  be- 
cause  Joseph,  jr.  professed  to  receive  revela¬ 
tion  and  the  people  believed  he  lied,  but  some 
believed  he  told  the  truth  and  this  made  them 
just  as  bad  as  he  was,  and  none  of  them  were 
entitled  to  credit.  And  after  getting  all  the 
testimony  he  could  from  that  place  on  this 
point,  he  proceeded  to  another,  and  Anally 
went  to  New  Salem,  in  Ohio,  where  it  was 
suggested  to  him  that  the  “Book  of  Mormon^ 
might  be  successfully  warred  against  and  his 
speculation  greatly  enhanced,  by  searching 
into  “the  Spaulding  Romance, ”  therefore 
the  scheme  was  concerted,  and  John  SpaU 


AND  REFUTED. 


177 


ding,  Lake,  Wright,  and  others,  agreeing  to 
back  him  he  starts  for  Massachusetts  after 
the  “Manuscript  Found,”  gets  it  by  promising 
to  publish  it  and  give  the  owner  one  half  the 
profits — returns — compares  it  with  the  “Book 
of  Mormon” — finds  it  does  not  agree.  Now 
what  is  to  be  done?  If  this  manuscript  should 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Mormons,  his 
scheme  which  he  had  devised  to  enhance 
his  speculation  and  to  more  successfully  pre¬ 
judice  the  minds  of  the  people  against  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  would  be  counteracted  and 
destroyed.  Therefore  to  carry  out  the  scheme 
the  “Manuscript  Found”  was  either  destroy¬ 
ed  or  carefully  concealed  while  the  state- 

%/ 

ments  were  made  out  for  publication  in  the 
book,  that  the  “Manuscript”  has  never  been 
seen  nor  heard  from  since  it  was  carried  to- 
Patterson  &  Lambdin’s  office,  and  the  cir¬ 
cumstances  are  very  strong  that  Rigdon  got 
it  from  there  and  converted  it  into  the  “Book 
of  Mormon.” 

Meanwhile,  before  this  book  could  be  is¬ 
sued  from  the  press,  a  Mormon  preacher- 
goes  to  Holliston,  Mass.,  preaches  and  bap¬ 
tizes  a  deacon  and  several  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  that  place.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  S tor rs,  their  minister,  becoming 
alarmed  for  his  craft,  and  hearing  something 
about  this  Spalding  romance,  &c.  he  writes 


178 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


to  Mr.  D.  R.  Austin,  one  of  his  good  friends 
that  lived  near  Mrs.  Davidson,  requesting 
him  to  get  all  the  information  he  could  con¬ 
cerning  the  matter  and  send  it  to  him  forth¬ 
with,  hoping  thereby,  no  doubt,  to  save  the 
remainder  of  his  flock.  Mr.  Austin  accord- 
ingly  goes  to  Mrs.  Davidson  and  asked  her 
some  questions,  minuted  the  answers  down, 
and  then  goes  home  and  writes  a  letter  to 
Mr.  Storrs,  and  signs  Mrs.  Davidson’s  name 
to  it;  and  Mr.  Storrs  immediately  published 
it  in  the  Boston  Recorder. 

While®all  this  was  going  on  in  Massachu¬ 
setts,  Hulburt  is  busily  engaged  carrying 
out  his  scheme  in  Ohio;  and  finally  his  char¬ 
acter  becoming  so  noted,  it  was  thought  best 
to  change  authors  and  publish,  under  the 
name  of  Howe;  (Howe  purchasing  the  doc¬ 
uments  Hulburt  had  made  out,  and  agree¬ 
ing  to  pay  in  Books,  after  they  were  printed 
and  bound.J  Thus  this  scheme  of  iniquity 
was  carried  on  by  wicked  and  designingmen, 
for  the  sake  of  speculation,  and  to  destroy 
the  character  of  innocent  men  who  never 
had  done  them  any  harm,  and  to  blast  the 
reputation  of  those  that  God  has  sent  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  salvation,  and  to  warn  this  gen¬ 
eration  to  prepare  for  the  great  day  of  the 
Lord,  which  is  near  at  hancf.  But  their 


AND  REFUTED. 


179 


statements  (like  the  false  witnesses  that  came 
against  ChristJ  do  not  agree  together. 

I  will  now  add  Parley  P.  Pratt’s  testimony 
on  this  subject,  and  then  I  shall  consider  the 
objection  as  refuted;  copied  from  a  pamphlet 
published  by  P.  P.  Pratt,  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  in  answer  to  a  publication  made  by 
Le  Roy  Sunderland,  Ed.  of  the  Zion’s  Watch¬ 
man,  on  Mormonism,  &c. :  “For  the  sake  of 
the  honest  in  heart,  who  love  the  truth,  I 
here  offer  my  testimony  on  this  subject,  as 
I  was  a  personal  actor  in  the  scenes  which 
brought  S.  Rigdon  into  an  acquaintance  with 
the  ‘Book  of  Mormon,’  and  into  connexion 
with  the  church  of  Latter  Day  Saints.  A- 
bout  the  year  of  our  Lord  1827,  Messrs.  A. 
Campbell,  W.  Scott,  and  S.  Rigdon,  with 
some  others,  residing  in  Virginia,  Ohio,  &c. 
came  off  from  the  Baptists  and  established  a 
new  order,  under  the  name  of  Reformed  Bap¬ 
tists,  or  Disciples;  and  they  were  termed  by 
their  enemies,  Campbellites,  Rigdonites,  &c. 
This  reformation  as  to  its  doctrines  consisted 
principally  of  the  baptism  of  repentance  for 
the  remission  of  sins,  &c.;  and  Mr.  Rigdon, 
in  particular,  held  to  a  literal  fulfilment  and 
application  of  the  written  word,  and  by  this 
means  he  was  an  instrument  to  turn  many 
from  the  false  notions  of  sectarian  tradi¬ 
tions,  to  an  understanding  of  the  prophecies, 


18D 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


touching  the  great  restoration  of  Israel,  and 
the  mighty  revolutions  of  the  last  days.  Ma¬ 
ny  hundred  disciples  were  gathered  by  his 
ministry,  throughout  the  Lake  country  of 
Ohio;  and  many  other  preachers  stood  in 
connection  with  him  in  those  principles.  I 
was  then  pursuing  an  agricultural  life,  and 
mostly  occupied  in  converting  the  wilderness, 
into  a  fruitful  field.  But  being  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  church  and  a  lover  of  truth,  I 
became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Rigdon,  and  a 
believer  in,  and  a  teacher  of  the  same  doc¬ 
trine.  After  proclaiming  those  principles  in 
my  own  neighborhood  and  the  adjoining  coun¬ 
try,  I  at  length  took  a  journey  to  the  state  of 
New-York,  partly  on  a  visit  to  Columbia  co. 
N.  Y.  my  native  place,  and  partly  for  the 
purpose  of  ministering  the  word.  This  jour¬ 
ney  was  undertaken  in  August,  1830.  I  had 
no  sooner  reached  Ontario  Co.  N.  Y.  than  I 
came  in  contact  with  the  ‘Book  of  Mormon,7 
which  had  then  been  published  about  six 
months,  and  had  gathered  about  fifty  disci¬ 
ples,  which  were  all  that  then  constituted  the 
church  of  Latter  Day  Saints.  I  was  great¬ 
ly  prejudiced  against  the  book,  but  remem¬ 
bering  the  caution  of  Paul,  “Prove  all  things 
and  hold  fast  that  which  is  good,  ”7  I  sat  down 
to  read  it;  and  after  carefully  comparing  it 
with  the  other  scriptures,  and  praying  to  God, 


AND  REFUTED. 


181 


He  gave  me  the  knowledge  of  its  truth,  by 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  what  was 
I,  that  I  should  withstand  God?  I  according¬ 
ly  obeyed  the  Ordinances,  and  was  commis¬ 
sioned  by  Revelation,  and  the  laying  on  of 
hands,  to  preach  the  fulness  of  the  gospel. 
Then,  after  finishing  my  visit  to  Columbia 
county,  I  returned  to  the  brethren  in  Ontario 
county,  where,  for  the  first  time,  I  saw  Mr. 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  who  had  just  returned 
from  Pennsylvania  to  his  father’s  house  in 
Manchester.  About  the  15th  of  October, 
1830,  I  took  my  journey,  in  company  with 
Elder  O.  Cowdery  and  Peter  Whitmer,  to 
Ohio.  We  called  on  Elder  S.  Rigdon,  and 
then  for  the  first  time  his  eyes  beheld  the 
‘Book  of  Mormon.’  I,  myself,  had  the  hap¬ 
piness  to  present  it  to  him  in  person.  Ide 
was  much  surprised,  and  it  was  with  much 
persuasion  and  argument  that  he  was  prevail¬ 
ed  on  to  read  it;  and  after  he  had  read  it,  he 
had  a  great  struggle  of  mind,  before  he  ful¬ 
ly  believed  and  embraced  it;  and  when  final¬ 
ly  convinced  of  its  truth,  he  called  together 
a  large  congregation  of  his  friends,  neigh¬ 
bors,  and  brethren,  and  then  addressed  them 
very  affectionately*  for  near  two  hours,  du¬ 
ring  which  time,  both  himself  and  nearly  all 
the  congregation  were  melted  into  tears.  He 
asked  forgiveness  of  every  body  who  might 


182 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


h&ve  had  occasion  to  be  offended  with  any 
part  of  his  former  life;  he  forgave  all  who 
had  injured  or  persecuted  him,  and  the  next 
morning,  himself  and  wife  were  baptised  by 
Elder  Cowdery.  I  was  present;  it  was  a 
solemn  scene;  most  of  the  People  were 
greatly  affected;  they  came  out  of  the  water 
overwhelmed  in  tears.  Many  others  were 
baptised  by  us  in  that  vicinity,  both  before 
and  after  his  baptism;  insomuch,  that  during 
the  fall  of  1830,  and  the  following  winter 
and  spring,  the  number  of  disciples  was  in¬ 
creased  to  about  one  thousand.  The  Holy 
Ghost  was  mightily  poured  out,  and  the  word 
of  God  grew  and  multiplied;  and  many 
priests  were  obedient  to  the  faith.  Early  in 
1831,  Mr.  Rigdon  having  been  ordained,  un¬ 
der  our  hands,  visited  Elder  Joseph  Smith,  Jr. 
in  the  State  of  New-York,  for  the  first  time; 
and  from  that  time  forth,  rumor  began  to 
circulate  that  he,  ('RigdonJ  was  the  author 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  The  Spalding  sto¬ 
ry  never  was  dreamed  of,  until  several  years 
afterwards,  when  it  appeared  in  “Mormon- 
ism  Unveiled, ”  a  base  forgery,  by  D.  P. 
Hulburt,  and  others  of  similar  character, 
who  had  long  strove  to  account  for  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  in  some  other  way  beside  the 
truth.  In  the  west,  whole  neighborhoods  em¬ 
braced  Mormonism,  after  this  fable  of  the 


AND  REFUTED*. 


183 


Spalding  story  had  been  circulated  among 
them.  Indeed,  we  never  conceived  it  wor¬ 
thy  of  answer,  until  it  was  converted  by  the 
ignorant  and  impudent  dupes  or  knaves,  in 
this  city,  who  stand  at  the  head  of  certain 
religious  papers,  into  something  said  to  be 
positive,  certain,  and  not  to  be  disputed! — 
Now  I  testify,  that  the  forgers  of  the  Spal¬ 
ding  lie  (concerning  S.  Rigdon  and  others,) 
are  of  the  same  description  as  those  who 
forged  the  lie  against  the  disciples  of  old,  ac¬ 
cusing  them  of  stealing  the  body  of  Jesus, 
&c.  and  those  who  love  this  lie  are  no  bet¬ 
ter.  I  mean  the  Editors  of  the  New-York 
Evangelist,  Zion’s  Watchman,  and  all  oth¬ 
ers  who  are  equally  guilty,  including  all  who 
read  and  believe  such  a  thing;  and  except 
they  repent,  they  will  have  their  part  with 
drunkards,  whoremongers,  sorcerers,  thieves, 
murderers,  &c.  for  being  guilty  of  loving  or 
making  a  lie;  and  in  that  day  when  the  se- 
crets  of  all  hearts  shall  be  made  known, then 
shall  they  know  that  these  things  and  many 
others  were  base  falsehoods,  put  in  circula¬ 
tion  by  the  Devil  and  his  servants,  and  that 
the  Book  of  Mormon  is  a  record  of  Eternal 
truth,  which  speaks  from  the  dust,  as  a  voice 
from  the  dead,  bearing  record  of  the  gospel 
of  a  crucified  and  risen  redeemer,  reproving 
the  sins  of  the  world,  and  warning  them  of 


184 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


things  which  must  shortly  come  to  pass. — 
Therefore,  repent,  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth, 
and  be  baptised  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and 
you  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost; 
and  signs  shall  follow  those  that  believe;  and 
this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  first  be 
preached  among  all  nations,  and  then  shall 
the  Son  of  Man  come.  Amen/’  P.  P.  Pratt. 

Seventhly — The  Book  of  Mormon  is  ob¬ 
jected  too,  because  Joseph  Smith,  the  trans¬ 
lator,  is  reported  to  have  been  “an  ignorant, 
base  character.”  Now  that  he  was  ignor¬ 
ant,  (That  is  illiterate,  unlearned,)  when  he 
translated  the  Book  of  Mormon,  we  do  not 
pretend  to  deny,  and  that  is  the  very  reason 
why  God  chose  him  that  he  might  cause  the 
wisdom  of  the  wise  to  perish,  and  the  under¬ 
standing  of  the  prudent  to  be  hid.  But,  says 
the  objector — “he  was  a  base  character.” — 
But  what  did  his  baseness  consist  of  ?  It  is 
reported, says  the  objector,  that  ‘he  was  a  mo¬ 
ney  digger.’  Well,  we  will  admit  that  he 
did  dig  in  the  earth  for  money,  and  was  paid 
for  it  at  the  rate  of  fourteen  dollars  per  month; 
and  what  of  that?  Was  that  an  unpardonable 
sin?  Who  is  there  of  the  Christian  commu¬ 
nity  that  are  not  guilty  of  doing  more  crimi¬ 
nal  things  than  that?  But  says  the  objector, 
“it  is  reported  that  he  was  intemperate.” — 
But  to  what  extent  was  he  intemperate?  D. 


AND  REFUTED. 


185 


P.  Hulburt  obtained  upwards  of  eighty  names 
in  Ontario  co.  signed  to  documents  against 
Smith’s  character,  and  published  in  “Mor- 
monism  Unveiled,”  and  yet  but  bare  two  in¬ 
stances  could  all  of  these  men  name  where 
they  saw  him  intoxicated;  and  even  then,  he 
was  capable  of  attending  to  his  own  business. 
And  now  1  ask,  who  there  is  that  has  lived 
thirty  years  in  this  world  and  at  a  time  when  it 
was  fashionable  for  all  people  to  make  use  of 
ardent  spirits  as  a  beverage,  and  have  not  as 
much  as  twice  drank  too  much?  But  it  is  said 
that  ‘he  was  quarrelsome  when  intoxicated.’ 
Well,  this  is  not  very  strange;  most  people 
are;  but  if  he  only  got  intoxicated  twice,  and 
only  quarrelled  twice,  I  think  by  humble  re- 
pentence  he  might  be  forgiven.  But  says 
the  objector,  “he  is  said  to  be  a  liar  and  his 
word  not  to  be  depended  upon.”  But  what 
has  he  lied  about?  When  he  was  a  boy  he 
might  have  been  guilty  of  telling  some  silly 
stories,  as  most  boys  are,  and  no  doubt  he 
had  some  imperfections,  as  he  was  no  better 
by  nature  than  any  other  boy.  And  now,  to 
sum  up  this  matter,  the  great  baseness  of  his 
character  consists  in  this:  He  professes  to 
have  received  ‘the  ministering  of  an  angel,’ 
and  to  have  ‘translated  the  Book  of  Mormon 
by  inspiration,’  and  many  of  the  people  do 
not  believe  it;  therefore  they  denounce  him 


186 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


as  a  liar,  a  base  character,  &c.  That  Jo¬ 
seph  Smith  has  been  guilty  of  some  foibles 
and  imperfections  in  his  life-time,  we  do  not 
pretend  to  deny,  for  he  that  says  he  has  not 
sinned,  makes  God  a  liar.  But  that  he  has 
been  guilty  of  more  than  the  generality  of 
men,  we  do  deny,  and  say  that  it  cannot  be 
proved  that  he  has.  Now  you  may  take  the 
best  character  that  can  be  found  among  men, 
and  let  him  make  the  profession  that  Joseph 
Smith  has,  concerning  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
and  let  the  people  be  as  deeply  prejudiced 
against  as  they  have  been  since  he  made  the 
profession,  and  then  call  for  a  testimony 
from  every  man  that  had  ever  seen  any  imper¬ 
fection  in  his  life  or  conduct,  and  let  that 
testimony  be  given  with  a  full  conviction  that 
he  is  an  imposter,  (the  darkest  side  of  course 
would  be  put  out  in  the  testimony,)  and  al¬ 
though  his  character  was  spotless  before, 
it  would  then  be  considered  base.  For  how 
often  do  the  best  of  men  do  things  which 
they  think  nothing  of  at  the  time,  which  if 
their  enemies  should  get  hold  of,  they  would 
make  criminal  things  of  them.  But  again; 
suppose  he  was  guilty  of  all  the  immorali¬ 
ties  alledged  against  him,  could  he  not  have 
been  forgiven,  if  he  repented  and  forsook 
them?  Let  us  here  enumerate  all  the  accusa¬ 
tions  against  him;  ‘a  money  digger,  a  fortune 


and  refuted. 


187 


teller,  intemperate,  a  profane  swearer,  quar¬ 
relsome,  a  liar,  and  a  deceiver.’  These  are 
SnW  accusations  alledged  against  him, 
k  “p.th.eff  ar?  sP°ken  against  him  falsely, 

monv  ?  HSake  and  the  W01'd  of  his  testi¬ 
mony.;  He  is  not  accused  of  murder,  rob- 

beiy,  theft,  or  any  criminal  act,  because  if  they 
should  accuse  him  of  any  of  these  thing? 
they  know  it  would  not  be  believed,  in  con¬ 
sequence  of  the  law  not  being  put  in  force 
against  him  Now  Moses  killed  the  Egyp. 
tmn  and  hid  him  in  the  sand,  then  fled  aSFy 

terw»d!ianK  0  escape  Justice 5  yet  he  could  af- 
erwai  ds  become  a  great  prophet,  and  the 

fiist  and  chief  Judge  of  Israel.  David  com¬ 
manded  that  Uriah  the  Hittite  should  be  set 

mi  Jin  Sf'h  thre  ba“le’  in  order  that  he 

might  get  his  wife,  after  having  committed 
fornication  with  her;  yet  after  this,  he  wrote 
the  Psalms,  which  are  acknowledged  by  the 
savior  to  be  sacred.  And  Paul  the  Apostle 
mrsecuted  the  Church,  and  kept  the  cfothes 

?  thehm  that  stoned  Stephen  to  death,  and 
,ave  his  voice  against  him;  yet  he  after- 

vaids  became  an  Apostle,  and  he  testifies 
hat  he  was  not  a  whit  behind  the  chiefest.— 

^  these  could  be  forgiven,  and  accepted  of 
rT0d’  surel7  Joseph  Smith  could  be  forgiven 

ed?edWaS  ?U1  lX°£  a11  the  i'—litfes  ah 
dged  against  him,  inasmuch  as  he  repented 


188 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 


and  forsook  them.  Now  that  he  has  not  been 
guilty  of  immorality  for  the  last  six  years,  1 
am  a  witness,  having  been  acquainted  with 
him  that  length  of  time;  and  I  have  the 
testimony  of  those  that  I  know  to  be  good, 
respectable  people,  who  have  been  acquain¬ 
ted  with  him  from  his  childhood,  and  their 
testimony  is,  ‘that  he  never  has  been  guilty 
of  any  immoralities  which  are  not  common 
to  youth.’  But,  says  the  objector,  ‘if  God 
had  anew  revelation  to  give  to  man,  he  would 
not  have  chosen  such  a  foolish,  weak  and 
despised  nothingarian  as  Joseph  Smith  was.  ' 
But  hark!  what  saith  the  Scriptures?  1st  Cor. 
1st  Chapt.  27th  and  28th  verses — “But  God 
hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world, 
to  confound  the  wise;  and  God  hath  chosen 
the  weak  things  of  the  world,  to  confound  the 
things  which  are  mighty;  and  base  things  of 
the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised, 
hath  God  chosen,  yea  and  things  which  are 
not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that  are;”  and 
all  this  (29th  verse)  “that  no  flesh  should  glo¬ 
ry  in  his  presence. v  Again;  Matt.  11th 
chapt.  25th  verse:  “At  that  time  Jesus  an¬ 
swered  and  said,  ‘1  thank  thee,  O  Father, 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  because  thou  hast 
hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes/  ”  Also, 
Psalms  8th  chapt.  2d  verse:  “Out  of  the 


AND  REFUTED. 


189 


mouths  of  babes  and  sucklings  hast  thou  or¬ 
dained  strength,  because  of  thine  enemies; 
that  thou  mightest  still  the  enemy  and  the 
avenger.” 

Tlius  we  see  by  the  testimony  of  the  scrips 
tures  that  it  is  God's  ordinary  way  of  doing 
business,  to  take  just  such  a  character  as  Jo¬ 
seph  Smith  was  to  ‘do  his  work,  his  strange 
work;  and  bring  to  pass  his  act,  his  strange 
act.  Now  therefore,  be  ye  not  mockers,  lest 
your  bands  be  made  strong;  fori  have  heard 
from  the  Lord  God  of  hosts,  a  consumption, 
even  determined  upon  the  whole  earth.” — 
Neither  be  ye  ‘scorners’  for  such  are  to  be 
‘consumed.’  Neither  ‘watch  ye  for  iniqui¬ 
ty,’  for  such  ‘shall  be  cut  off.’  Neither 
‘make  a  man  an  offender  for  a  word/  nor 
‘lay  a  snare  for  him  whom  God  hath  sent  to 
reprove  in  the  gate,'  for  such  also,  ‘shall  be 
cut  off.’  But  if  you  have  ‘erred  in  spirit/ 
listen  to  the  reproof,  and  ‘come  to  under¬ 
standing;'  and  if  you  have  ‘murmured,  learn 
doctrine.’ 


APPENDIX. 


A  PROCLAMATION 
AND  WARNING  TO  THE  GENTILES 
WHO  INHABIT  AMERICA. 


Having  proved  the  Book  of  Mormon  to 
be  a  divinely  inspired  record,  written  by  the 
forefathers  of  the  natives  whom  we  call  In¬ 
dians,  (who  are  a  remnant  of  the  tribe  of 
Joseph,)  and  hid  up  in  the  earth,  but  came 
forth  in  fulfilment  of  prophecy  for  the  gath¬ 
ering  of  Israel  and  the  re-establishing  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth,  by  an 
abundance  of  positive,  definite  and  incontro- 
vertable  testimony;  and  having  answered 
and  refuted  all  the  objections  commonly  urged 
against  it  by  its  opposers,  I  now  proceede  to 
make  a  Proclamation,  and  add  a  warning  to 
the  inhabitants  of  America,  founding  them 
upon  prophecies  which  I  will  extract  from 
the  Book  of  Mormon.  It  is  often  asked  4 ‘what 
use  is  the  Book  of  Mormon  even  if  it  is  true?” 


192 


A  PROCLAMATION 


I  answer.  First;  It  brings  to  light  an  im¬ 
portant  history  before  unknown  to  man. — 
Second;  It  reveals  the  origin  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Indians  which  was  before  a  mystery. — 
Third;  It  contains  much  plainness  in  regard 
to  points  of  doctrine,  insomuch  that  all  may 
understand,  and  see  eye  to  eye,  if  they  take 
pains  to  read  it.  Fourth;  It  contains  many 
important  prophecies  yet  to  be  fulfilled  which 
immediately  concerns  the  present  generation, 
and  their  very  existence  depends  on  an  im¬ 
mediate  understanding  of  them:  and  espe¬ 
cially  the  inhabitants  of  America.  Some  of 
these  prophecies  I  will  now  extract,  commen¬ 
cing  with  the  12th  chapt.  of  the  2nd  Book  of 
Nephi. 

6 ‘And  now,  behold,  my  Brethren,  I  have 
spoken  unto  you  according  as  the  spirit  hath 
constrained  me;  wherefore,  I  know  that  they 
must  surely  come  to  pass.  The  things  which 
shall  be  written  out  of  the  book,  shall  be  of 
great  worth  unto  the  children  of  men,  and 
especially  unto  our  seed,  which  is  a  remnant 
of  the  house  of  Israel.  For  it  shall  come  to 
pass  in  that  day  that  the  churches  which  are 
built  up,  and  not  unto  the  Lord,  when  the 
one  shall  say  unto  the  other,  bohold,  I,  I  am 
the  Lord's;  and  the  other  shall  say,  I,  I  am 
the  Lord's.  And  thus  shall  every  one  say 
that  hath  built  up  churches,  and  not  unto  the 


AND  WANKING. 


193 


Lord;  and  they  shall  contend  one  with  anotli* 
er;  and  they  shall  teach  with  their  learning 
and  deny  the  Holy  Ghost  which  giveth  utter¬ 
ance.  And  they  deny  the  power  of  God,  the 
Holy  one  of  Israel;  and  they  say  unto  the 
people,  harken  unto  us,  and  hear  ye  our  pre¬ 
cept:  for  behold,  there  is  no  God  to-day,  for 
the  Lord  and  the  Redeemer  hath  done  his 
work,  and  he  hath  given  his  power  unto  men. 
Behold,  harken  ye  unto  my  precept:  if  they 
shall  say  there  is  a  miracle  wrought,  by  the 
hand  of  the  Lord,  believe  it  not;  for  this  day 
he  is  not  a  God  of  miracles;  he  hath  done 
his  work.  Yea,  and  there  shall  be  many 
which  shall  say,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry, 
for  to-morrow  we  die;  and  it  shall  be  w^ell 
with  us.  And  there  shall  be  many  which 
shall  say,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry;  never¬ 
theless  fear  God,  he  will  justify  in  commit¬ 
ting  a  little  sin;  yea,  lie  a  little,  take  the  ad¬ 
vantage  of  one  because  of  his  words,  dig  a 
pit  for  thy  neighbors;  there  is  no  harm  in 
this.  And  do  all  these  things  for  to-morrow 
we  die;  and  if  it  so  be  that  we  are  guilty, 
God  will  beat  us  with  few  stripes,  and  at  last 
we  shall  be  saved  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Yea,  and  there  shall  be  many  which  shall 
teach  after  this  manner — false  and  vain,  and 
foolish  doctrines,  and  shall  be  puffed  up  in 
their  hearts,  and  shall  seek  deep  to  hide  their 

7 


194 


A  PROCLAMATION 


counsels  from  the  Lord;  and  there  works  shall 
be  in  the  dark;  and  the  blood  of  the  saints 
shall  cry  from  the  ground  against  them. — 
Yea,  they  have  all  gone  out  of  the  way;  they 
have  become  corrupted.  Because  of  pride, 
and  because  of  false  teachers  and  false  doc¬ 
trine,  their  churches  have  become  corrupt¬ 
ed;  and  their  churches  are  lifted  up;  because 
of  pride,  they  are  puffed  up.  They  rob  the 
poor,  because  of  their  fine  sanctuaries;  they 
rob  the  poor,  because  of  their  fine  clothing; 
and  they  persecute  the  meek  and  the  poor  in 
heart,  because  in  their  pride,  they  are  puffed 
up.  They  wear  stiff  necks,  and  high  heads; 
yea,  and  because  of.  pride,  and  wickedness, 
and  abominations,  and  whoredoms,  they  have 
all  gone  astray,  save  it  be  a  few,  who  are  the 
humble  followers,  of  Christ;  nevertheless, 
they  are  led,  that  in  many  instances  they  do 
err,  because  they  are  taught  by  the  precepts 
of  men. 

“O,  the  wise,  and  the  learned,  and  the 
rich,  that  are  puffed  up  in  the  pride  of  their 
hearts,  and  all  those  who  preach  false  doc¬ 
trines,  and  all  those  who  commit  whoredoms, 
and  prevent  the  right  way  of  the  Lord;  wo, 
wo,  wo  be  unto  them,  saith  the  Lord  God  Al¬ 
mighty,  for  they  shall  be  thrust  down  to  hell. 
Wo  unto  them  that  turn  aside  the  just  for  a 
thing  of  naught,  and  revile  against  that  which 


AND  WARNING. 


195 


is  good,  and  say  that  it  is  of  no  worth;  for 
the  day  shall  come  that  the  Lord  God  will 
speedily  visit  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth; 
and  in  that  day  that  they  are  fully  ripe  in  in¬ 
iquity  they  shall  perish.  But  behold,  if  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  shall  repent  of  their 
wickedness  and  abominations,  they  shall  not 
be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  But  * 
behold,  that  great  and  abominable  church, 
the  whore  of  all  the  earth,  must  tumble  to 
the  earth;  and  great  must  be  the  fall  thereof; 
for  the  kingdom  of  the  devil  must  shake, 
and  they  which  belong  to  it  must  needs  be 
stirred  up  unto  repentence,  or  the  devil  will 
grasp  them  with  his  everlasting  chains,  and 
they  be  stirred  up  to  anger  and  perish:  for 
behold,  at  that  day  shall  he  rage  in  the 
hearts  of  the  children  of  men,  and  stir  them 
up  to  anger  against  that  which  is  good;  and 
others  will  he  pacify,  and  lull  them  away  in¬ 
to  carnal  security,  that  they  will  say,  all  is 
well  in  Zion;  yea,  Zion  prospereth,  all  is 
well;  and  thus  the  devil  cheateth  their  souls, 
and  leadeth  them  away  carefully  down  to 
hell.  And  behold,  others  he  flattereth  away, 
and  telleth  them  there  is  no  hell;  and  he  saith 
unto  them,  I  am  no  devil,  for  there  is  none; 
and  thus  he  whispereth  in  their  ears,  until 
he  grasps  them  with  his  awful  chains,  from 
whence  there  is  no  deliverance.  Yea,  thev  - 


196 


A  PROCLAMATION' 


are  grasped  with  death  and  hell;  and  death, 
and  hell  and  the  devil,  and  all  that  have  been 
seized  therewith,  must  stand  before  the 
throne  of  God,  and  be  judged  according  to 
their  works,  from  whence  they  must  go  into 
the  place  prepared  for  them,  which  is  as  a  lake 
of  fire  and  brimstone,  even  endless  torment. 
Therefore,  wo  be  unto  him  that  is  at  ease  in 
Zion.  Wo  be  unto  him  that  crieth  all  is 
well;  yea,  wo  be  unto  him  that  hearkeneth 
unto  the  precepts  of  men,  and  denieth  the 
power  of  God,  and  the  gift  of  the  holy  Ghcs-t. 
Yea,  wo  be  unto  him  that  saith,  we  have  re¬ 
ceived,  and  we  need  no  more.  And  in  fine, 
wo  unto  all  those  who  tremble,  and  are  angry 
because  of  the  truth  of  God.  For  behold, 
he  that  is  built  upon  the  rock,  receiveth  it 
with  gladness;  and  he  that  is  built  upon  a 
sandy  foundation,  trembleth  lest  he  should 
fall.  Wo  be  unto  him  that  shall  say,  we 
have  received  the  word  of  God,  and  we  need 
no  more  of  the  word  of  God,  for  we  have 
enough.  For  behold,  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God,  I  will  give  unto  the-  children  of  men 
line  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept,,  here 
a  little  and  there  a  little,  and  blessed  are 
those  who  hearken  unto  my  precepts,  and 
lend  an  ear  unto  my  counsels,  for  they  shall 
learn  wisdom;  for  unto  him  that  receiveth,  I 
will  give  more;  and  from  them  that  shall  say 


AND  WARNING. 


197 


we  have  enough,  from  them  shall  be  taken 
away  even  that  which  they  have.  Cursed  is 
he  that  putteth  his  trust  in  man,  or  maketh 
flesh  his  arm,  or  shall  hearken  unto  the  pre¬ 
cepts  of  men,  save  their  precepts  shall  be 
given  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. — 
Wo  be  unto  the  Gentiles,  saiththe  Lord  God 
of  Hosts;  for  notwithstanding  I  shall  length¬ 
en  out  mine  arm  unto  them  from  day  to  day, 
they  will  deny  me;  nevertheless,  I  will  be 
merciful  unto  them,  saith  the  Lord  God,  if 
they  will  repent  and  come  unto  me;  for  mine 
arm  is  lengthened  out  all  the  day  long,  saith 
the  Lord  God  of  hosts.  But  behold,  there 
shall  be  many  at  that  time,  when  I  shall  pro¬ 
ceed  to  do  a  marvelous  work  among  them, 
that  I  may  remember  my  covenants  which  I 
have  made  unto  the  children  of  men,  that  I 
may  set  my  hand  again  the  second  time  to 
recover  my  people,  which  are  of  the  house 
of  Israel;  and  also,  that  I  may  remember  the 
promises  which  I  have  made  unto  thee,  Ne- 
phi,  and  also,  unto  thy  fathers,  that  I  would 
remember  your  seed;  and  that  the  words  of 
your  seed  should  proceed  forth  out  of  my 
mouth  unto  your  seed.  And  my  words  shall 
hiss  forth  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth,  for  a 
standard  unto  my  people,  which  are  of  the 
house  of  Israel.  And  because  my  words 
shall  hiss  forth,  many  of  the  Gentiles  shall 


198 


A  PROCLAMATION 


say,  a  bible,  a  bible,  we  have  got  abible,  and 
there  cannot  be  any  more  bible.  But  thus 
saith  the  Lord  God:  O  fools, they  shall  have  a 
bible;  and  it  shall  proceed  forth  from  the 
Jews,  mine  ancient  covenant  people.  And 
what  thank  they  the  Jews  for  the  bible  which 
they  receive  from  them?  Yea,  what  do  the 
Gentiles  mean?  Do  they  remember  the  trav¬ 
els,  and  labors,  and  the  pains,  of  the  Jews, 
and  their  diligence  unto  me,  in  bearing  forth 
salvation  unto  the  Gentiles?  O  ye  Gentiles, 
have  ye  remembered  the  Jews,  mine  ancient 
covenant  people?  Nay,  but  ye  have  cursed 
them,  and  have  hated  them,  and  have  not 
sought  to  recover  them.  But  behold,  I  will 
return  all  these  things  upon  your  own  heads; 
for  I  the  Lord,  hath  not  forgotten  my  people. 
Thou  fool,  that  shall  say,  a  bible,  we  have 
got  a  bible,  and  we  need  no  more  bible. — 
Have  ye  obtained  a  bible,  save  it  were  by  the 

Jews?  Know  ve  not  that  there  are  more  na- 

•/ 

tions  than  one?  Know  ye  not  that  I  the  Lord 
your  God,  have  created  all  men,  and  that  I 
remember  those  who  are  upon  the  isles  of  the 
sea;  and  that  I  rule  in  the  heavens  above, 
and  in  the  earth  beneath;  and  I  bring  forth 
my  word  unto  the  children  of  men,  yea, 
even  upon  all  the  nations  of  the  earth? 

“Wherefore  murmur  ye,  because  that  ye 
shall  receive  more  of  mv  word?  Know  ve 


AND  WARNING. 


199 


not  that  the-  testimony  of  two  nations  is  a 
witness  unto  you  that  I  am  God,  that  I  re¬ 
member  one  nation  like  unto  another? — 
Wherefore,  I  speak  the  same  words  unto  one 
nation  like  unto  another.  And  when  the  two 
nations  shall  run  together,  the  testimony  of 
the  two  nations  shall  run  together  also.  And 
I  do  this  that  I  may  prove  unto  many,  that  I 
am  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever; 
and  that  I  speak  forth  my  words  according  to 
mine  own  pleasure.  And  because  that  I 
have  spoken  one  word,  ye  need  not  suppose 
that  I  cannot  speak  another;  for  my  work  is 
not  yet  finished;  neither  shall  it  be,  until  the 
end  of  man;  neither  .from  that  time  hence¬ 
forth  and  forever.  Wherefore,  because  that 
ye  have  a  bible,  ye  need  not  suppose  that  it 
contains  all  my  words;  neither  need  ye  sup¬ 
pose  that  I  have  not  caused  more  to  be  writ¬ 
ten:  for  I  command  all  men,  both  in  the  east 
and  in  the  west,  and  in  the  north,  and  in  the 
south,  and  in  the  islands  of  the  sea,  that  they 
shall  write  the  words  which  I  speak  unto 
them:  for  out  of  the  Books  which  shall  be 
written,  I  will  judge  the  world,  every  man 
according  to  their  works,  according  to  that 
which  is  written.  For  behold,  I  shall  speak 
unto  the  Jews,  and  they  shall  write  it;  and  I 
shall  also  speak  unto  the  Nephites,  and  they 
shall  write  it;  and  I  shall  also  speak  unto  the 


SCO 


A  PROCLAMATION 


other  tribes  of  the  house  of  Israel,  which  I 
have  led  away,  and  they  shall  write  it;  and 
I  shall  also  speak  unto  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  and  they  shall  write  it.  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  that  the  Jews  shall  Have  the 
words  of  the  Nephites;  and  the  Nephites 
shall  have  the  words  of  the  Jews;  and  the 
Nephites  and  the  Jews  shall  have  the  words 
of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel;  and  the  lost 
tribes  of  Israel  shall  have  the  words  of  the 
Nephites  and  Jews.  And  it  shall  come  to 
pass  that  my  people  who  are  of  the  house  of 
Israel,  shall  be  gathered  home  unto  the  lands 
of  their  possessions;  and  my  word  also  shall 
be  gathered  in  one.  And  I  will  show  unto 
them  that  fight  against  my  word  and  against 
my  people,  who  are  of  the  house  of  Israel, 
that  1  am  God,  and  that  I  covenanted  with 
Abraham  that  I  would  remember  his  seed 
forever.  And  now,  behold,  my  beloved 
brethren,  I  would  speak  unto  you:  for  I,  Ne- 
phi,  wTould  not  suffer  that  ye  should  suppose 
that  ye  are  more  righteous  than  the  Gentiles 
shall  be.  For  behold,  except  ye  shall  keep 
the  commandments  of  God  ye  shall  all  like¬ 
wise  perish;  and  because  of  the  words  which 
have  been  spoken  ye  need  not  suppose  that 
the  Gentiles  are  utterly  destroyed.  For  be¬ 
hold,  I  say  unto  you,  that  as  many  of  the 
Gentiles  as  will  repent,  are  the  covenant  peo- 


AND  WARNING. 


201 


pie  of  the  Lord;  and  as  many  of  the  Jews 
as  will  not  repent,  shall  be  cast  off;  foi  the 
Lord  covenanteth  with  none,  save  it  be  with 
them  that  repent  and  believe  in  his  Son,  who 
is  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  And  now,  I 
would  prophesy  somewhat  more  concerning 
the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles.  For  after  the 
book  of  which  I  have  spoken  shall  come  forth, 
and  be  written  unto  the  Gentiles,  and  sealed 
up  again  unto  the  Lord,  there  shall  be  many 
which  shall  believe  the  words  which  are 
written;  and  they  shall  carry  them  forth  un¬ 
to  the  remnant  of  our  seed.  And  then  shall 
the  remnant  of  our  seed  know  concerning 
us,  how  that  we  came  out  from  Jerusalem, 
and  that  they  are  descendants  of  the  Jews. 
And  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  shall  be  de¬ 
clared  among  them;  wherefore,  they  shall 
be  restored  unto  the  knowledge  of  their  fa¬ 
thers,  and  also  to  the  knowledge  of  Jesus 
Christ,  which  was  had  amone  their  fathers. 
And  then  shall  they  rejoice;  for  they  shall 
know  that  it  is  a  blessing  unto  them  front  the 
hand  of  God;  and  their  scales  of  darkness 
shall  begin  to  fall  from  their  eyes;  and  ma¬ 
ny  generations  shall  not  pass  away  among 
them,  save  they  shall  be  a  white  and  delight-* 
some  people. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  Jewrs 
which  are  scattered,  also  shall  begin  to  be- 


202 


A  PROCLAMATION 


iieve  in  Christ:  and  they  shall  begin  to  gath¬ 
er  in  upon  the  face  of  the  land;  and  as  many 
as  shall  believe  in  Christ,  shall  also  become 
a  delightsome  people. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  Lord 
God  shall  commence  his  work,  among  all 
nations,  kindreds,  tongues,  and  people,  to 
bring  about  the  restoration  of  his  people 
upon  the  earth.  And  with  righteousness 
*  shall  the  Lord  God  Judge  the  poor,  and 
reprove  with  equity,  for  the  meek  of  the 
earth.  And  he  shall  smite  the  earth  with 
the  rod  of  his  mouth;  and  with  the  breath 
of  his  lips  shall  he  slay  the  wicked:  for  the 
time  speedily  cometh,  that  the  Lord  God 
shall  cause  a  great  division  among  the  peo¬ 
ple;  and  the  wicked  will  he  destroy;  and  he 
will  spare  his  people,  yea,  even  if  it  so  be 
that  he  must  destroy  the  wicked  by  fire. — 
And  righteousness  shall  be  the  girdle  of  his 
ioins,  and  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  his  reins. 
And  then  shall  the  wolf  dwell  with  the  lamb, 
and  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid; 
and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion,  and  the  fat- 
ling,  together;  and  a  little  child  shall  lead 
them.  And  the  cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed; 
their  young  ones  shall  lie  down  together,  and 
the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.  And  the 
sucking  child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the 
asp,  and  the  weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand 


AND  WARNING# 


203 


upon  the  cockatrice’s  den.  They  shall  not 
hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain; 
for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. — 
Wherefore,  the  things  of  all  nations  shall 
be  made  known;  yea,  all  things  shall  be  made 
known  unto  the  children  of  men.  There  is 
nothing  which  is  secret,  save  it  shall  be  re¬ 
vealed;  there  is  no  work  of  darkness,  save  it 
shall  be  made  manifest  in  the  light;  and  there 
is  nothing  which  is  sealed  upon  the  earth, 
save  it  shall  be  loosed.  Wherefore,  all 
things  which  have  been  revealed  unto  the 
children  of  men,  shall  at  that  day  be  reveal¬ 
ed;  and  Satan  shall  have  power  over  the 
hearts  of  the  children  of  men  no  more,  for 
a  long  time.  And  my  beloved  brethren,  I 
must  make  an  end  of  my  sayings.” 

Again,  513th  page,  2d  Edition.  The 
words  of  Christ’s  ministry  to  the  Nephites: 

“And  I  command  you  that  ye  shall  write 
these  sayings,  after  I  am  gone,  that  if  it  so 
be  that  my  people  at  Jerusalem,  they  who 
have  seen  me  and  been  with  me  in  my  min¬ 
istry,  do  not  ask  the  Father  in  my  name, 
that  they  may  receive  a  knowledge  of  you  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  also  of  the  other  tribes 
whom  they  know  not  of,  that  these  sayings 
which  ye  shall  write  shall  be  kept,  and  shall 
be  manifested  unto  the  Gentiles,  that  through 


204 


A  PROCLAMATION 


the  fullness  of  the  Gentiles  the  remnant  of 
their  seed  who  shall  be  scattered  forth  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth  because  of  their  unbe¬ 
lief,  maybe  brought  in,  or  maybe  brought  to 
a  knowledge  of  me,  their  Redeemer.  And 
then  will  I  gather  them  in  from  the  four 
quarters  of  the  earth;  and  then  will  I  fulfil 
the  covenant  which  the  Father  hath  made 
unto  all  the  people  of  the  house  of  Israel. — 
And  blessed  are  the  Gentiles  because  of  their 
belief  in  me,  in  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which 
bears  witness  unto  them  of  me  and  of  the 
Father.  Behold,  because  of  their  belief  in 
me,  saith  the  father,  and  because  of  the  un¬ 
belief  of  you,  O  house  of  Irael,  in  the  latter 
days  shall  the  truth  come  unto  the  Gentiles, 
that  the  fullness  of  these  things  shall  be  made 
known  unto  them.  But  wo,  saith  the  Father, 
unto  the  unbelieving  of  the  Gentiles,  for  not¬ 
withstanding  they  have  come  forth  upon  the 
face  of  this  land  and  have  scattered  my  peo¬ 
ple  who  are  of  the  house  of  Israel;  and  my 
people  who  are  of  the  house  of  Israel  have 
been  cast  out  from  among  them,  and  have 
been  trodden  under  foot  by  them;  and  be¬ 
cause  of  the  mercies  of  the  Father  unto  the 
Gentiles,  and  also  the  judgements  of  the  Fath¬ 
er  upon  my  people,  who  are  of  the  house  of 
Israel;  verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  af¬ 
ter  all  this,  and  I  have  caused  my  people  who 


AND  WARNING. 


205 


are  of  the  house  of  Israel,  to  be  smitten  and 
to  he  afflicted,  and  to  be  slain,  and  to  be  cast 
out  from  among  them,  and  to  become  hated 
by  them,  and  to  become  a  hiss  and  a  by-word 
among  the  mu 

“And  thus  commandeth  the  Father  that  I 
should  say  unto  }^ou  at  that  day  when  the 
Gentiles  shall  sin  against  my  gospel,  and  shall 
be  lifted  up  in  the  pride  of  their  hearts  above 
all  nations,  and  above  all  the  people  of  the 
whole  earth,  and  shall  be  filled  with  all  man¬ 
ner  of  lyings  and  of  deceits,  and  of  mischiefs, 
and  all  manner'of  hypocracy  and  murders, 
and  priestcrafts,  and  whoredoms,  and  of  se¬ 
cret  abominations;  and  if  they  shall  do  all 
those  things,  and  shall  reject  the  fulness  of 
my  gospel,  behold  saith  the  Father,  I  will 
bring  the  fulness  of  my  gospel  from  among 
them;  and  then  will  I  remember  my  cove¬ 
nant  which  I  have  made  unto  my  people,  O 
house  of  Israel,  and  I  will  bring  my  gospel 
unto  them;  and  I  will  shew  unto  thee,  O 
house  of  Israel,  that  the  Gentiles  shall  not 
have  power  over  you,  but  I  will  remember 
my  covenant  unto  you,  O  house  of  Israel, 
and  ye  shall  come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the 
fulness  of  my  gospel. 

“But  if  the  Gentiles  will  repent  and  return 
unto  me,  saith  the  Father,  behold,  they 
shall  be  numbered  among  my  people,  O 


206 


A  PROCLAMATION 


house  of  Israel ;  and  I  will  not  suffer  my  peo¬ 
ple,  who  are  of  the  house  of  Israel,  to  go 
through  among  them  and  tread  them  down, 
saith  the  Father.  But  if  they  will  not  turn 
unto  me,  and  hearken  unto  my  voice,  I  will 
suffer  them,  yea,  I  will  suffer  my  people,  O 
house  of  Israel,  that  they  shall  go  through 
among  them,  and  shall  tread  them  down,  and 
they  shall  be  as  salt  that  hath  lost  its  savor, 
which  is  thenceforth  good  for  nothing,  but  to 
be  cast  out  and  to  be  trodden  under  foot  of 
my  people,  O  house  of  Israel.  Verily,  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  thus  hath  the  Father  com¬ 
manded  me,  that  I  shall  give  unto  this  peo¬ 
ple  this  land  for  their  inheritance.  And  when 
the  words  of  the  prophet  Isaiah  shall  be  ful¬ 
filled,  which  say,  thy  watchmen  shall  lift  up 
the  voice;  with  the  voice  together  shall  they 
sing,  for  they  shall  see  eye  to  eye,  when  the 
Lord  shall  bring  again  Zion.  Break  forth 
into  joy,  sing  together,  ye  waste  places  of 
Jerusalem,  for  the  Lord  hath  comforted  his 
people,  he  hath  redeemed  Jerusalem.  The 
Lord  hath  made  bare  his  holy  arm  in  the  eyes 
of  all  nations:  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth 
shall  see  the  salvation  of  God.” 

Again,  page  523, 2d  edition:  “And  it  came 
to  pass  that  when  they  had  all  given  glory 
unto  Jesus,  he  saith  unto  them,  behold  now  I 
finish  the  commandment  which  the  Father 


AND  WARDING. 


207 


hath  commanded  me  concerning  this  people 
who  are  a  remnant  of  the  house  of  Israel. — 
Ye  remember  that  I  spake  unto  you,  and  said 
that  when  the  words  of  Isaiah  should  be  ful¬ 
filled,  behold  they  are  written,  ye  have  them 
before  you,  therefore  search  them.  And 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  when  they  shall 
be  fulfilled,  then  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  cove¬ 
nant  which  the  Father  hath  made  unto  his 
people,  O  house  of  Israel,  and  then  shall  the 
remnants  which  shall  be  scattered  abroad  up¬ 
on  the  face  of  the  earth,  be  gathered  in  from 
the  east,  and  from  the  west,  and  from  the 
south,  and  from  the  north;  and  they  shall  be 
brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  their 
God,  who  hath  redeemed  them.  And  the 
Father  hath  commanded  me  that  I  should 
give  unto  you  this  land  for  your  inheritance. 
And  I  say  unto  you,  that  if  the  Gentiles  do 
not  repent,  after  the  blessings  which  they 
shall  receive,  after  they  have  scattered  my 
people,  then  shall  ye,  who  are  a  remnant  of 
the  house  of  Jacob,  go  forth  among  them;  and 
ye  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  them,  who  shall 
be  many;  and  ye  shall  be  among  them,  as 
a  lion  among  the  beasts  of  the  forest,  and  as 
a  young  lion  among  the  flocks  of  sheep,  who, 
if  he  goeth  through,  both  treadeth  down  and 
teareth  in  pieces,  and  none  can  deliver.  Thy 
hand  shall  be  lifted  up  upon  thine  adversa- 


208 


A  PROCLAMATION 


ries,  and  all  thine  enemies  shall  be  cut  off. 
And  I  will  gather  my  people  together  as  a 
man  gathereth  his  sheaves  into  the  floor,  for 
I  will  make  my  people  with  whom  the  Fath¬ 
er  hath  covenanted,  yea,  I  will  make  thy 
horn  iron,  and  I  will  make  thy  hoofs  brass. 
And  thou  shalt  beat  in  pieces  many  people, 
and  I  will  consecrate  their  gain  unto  the 
Lord,  and  their  substance  unto  the  Lord  of 
the  whole  earth.  And  behold,  I  am  he  who 
doeth  it.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  saith  the 
Father,  that  the  sword  of  my  justice  shall 
hang  over  them  at  that  day;  and  except  they 
repent,  it  shall  fall  upon  them,  saith  the  Fa¬ 
ther.  Yea,  even  upon  all  the  nations  of  the 
Gentiles. 

“And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  I  will  estab¬ 
lish  my  people,  O  house  of  Israel.  And  be¬ 
hold,  this  people  will  I  establish  in  this  land, 
unto  the  fulfilling  of  the  covenant  which  I 
made  with  your  father  Jacob;  and  it  shall  be 
a  New  Jerusalem.  And  the  powers  of  heaven 
shall  be  in  the  midst  of  this  people;  yea, 
even  I  will  be  in  the  midst  of  you.  Behold, 
I  am  he  of  whom  Moses  spake,  saying,  a 
prophet  shall  the  Lord  your  God  raise  up 
unto  you  of  your  brethren,  like  unto  me,  him 
shall  ye  hear  in  all  things  whatsoever  he 
shall  say  unto  you.  And  it  shall  come  to 
pass,  that  every  soul  who  will  not  hear  that 


AND  WARNING. 


209 


prophet,  shall  be  cut  off  from  among  the  peo¬ 
ple.  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  yea;  and  all 
the  prophets  from  Samuel,  and  those  that  fol¬ 
low  after,  as  many  as  have  spoken,  have 
testified  of  me. 

“And  behold,  ye  are  the  children  of  the 
prophets,  and  ye  are  of  the  house  of  Israel; 
and  ye  are  of  the  covenant  which  the  Father 
made  with  your  fathers,  saying  unto  Abra¬ 
ham,  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of 
the  earth  be  blessed;  the  Father  having  rais¬ 
ed  me  up  unto  you  first,  and  sent  me  to  bless 
you,  in  turning  away  every  one  of  you  from 
his  iniquities;  and  this  because  ye  are  the 
children  of  the  covenant.  And  after  that  ye 
were  blessed,  then  fulfilleth  the  Father  the 
covenant  which  he  made  with  Abraham,  say¬ 
ing,  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of  the 
earth  be  blessed,  unto  the  pouring  out  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  through  me,  upon  the  Gentiles, 
which  blessing  upon  the  Gentiles  shall  make 
them  mighty  above  all,  unto  the  scattering 
of  my  people,  O  house  of  Israel;  and  they 
•  shall  be  a  scourge  unto  the  people  of  this 
land.  Nevertheless,  when  they  shall  have 
received  the  fullness  of  my  gospel,  then  if 
they  shall  harden  their  hearts  against  me,  I 
will  return  their  iniquities  upon  their  own 
heads,  saitft  the  Father.  And  I  will  remem¬ 
ber  the  convenant  which  I  have  made  with 


210 


A  PROCLAMATION 


my  people,  and  I  have  covenanted  with  them 
that  I  would  gather  them  together  in  mine 
own  due  time;  that  I  would  give  unto  them 
again  the  land  of  their  fathers,  for  their  in¬ 
heritance,  which  is  the  land  of  Jerusalem, 
which  is  the  promised  land  unto  them  forev¬ 
er,  saith  the  Father. 

“And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  time 
cometh  when  the  fulness  of  my  gospel  shall 
be  preached  unto  them,  and  they  shall  believe 
in  me,  that  I  am  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  and  shall  pray  unto  the  Father  in  my 
name.  Then  shall  their  watchmen  lift  up 
their  voice,  and  with  the  voice  together  shall 
they  sing:  for  they  shall  see  eye  to  eye. — 
Then  will  the  Father  gather  them  together 
again,  and  give  unto  them  Jerusalem  for  the 
land  of  their  inheritance.  Then  shall  they 
break  forth  into  joy — sing  together,  ye  waste 
places- of  Jerusalem:  for  the  Father  hath 
comforted  his  people,  he  hath  redeemed  Je¬ 
rusalem.  The  Father  hath  made  bare  his 
holy  arm  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  nations:  and 
all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  salva-  . 
tion  of  the  Father.  And  the  Father  and  I 
are  one.  And  then  shall  be  brought  to  pass 
that  which  is  written,  awake,  awake  again, 
and  put  on  thy  strength,  O  Zion;  put  on  thy 
beautiful  garments,  O  Jerusalem,  the  holy 
city,  for  henceforth  there  shall  no  more  come 


AND  WARNING. 


211 


♦  into  thee  the  uncircumsed  and  the  unclean. 
Shake  thyself  from  the  dust;  arise,  sit  down, 
O  Jerusalem;  loose  thyself  from  the  bands  of 
thy  neck,  O  captive  daughter  of  Zion.  For 
thus  saith  the  Lord,  ye  have  sold  yourselves 
for  naught;  and  ye  shall  be  redeemed  with¬ 
out  money.  Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you, 
that  my  people  shall  know  my  name;  yea, 
in  that  day  they  shall  know  that  I  am  he  that 
doth  speak.  And  then  shall  they  say,  how 
beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of 
him  that  bringeth  good  tidings  unto  them, 
that  publisheth  peace;  that  bringeth  good  ti¬ 
dings  unto  them  of  good,  that  publisheth  sal¬ 
vation;  that  saith  unto  Zion,  thy  God  reign- 
eth! 

4 ‘And  then  shall  a  cry  go  forth,  depart  ye, 
depart  ye,  go  ye  out  from  thence,  touch  not 
that  which  is  unclean;  go  ye  out  of  the  midst 
of  her;  be  ye  clean,  that  bear  the  vessels 
of  the  Lord.  For  ye  shall  not  go  out  with 
haste,  nor  go  by  flight:  for  the  Lord  will  go 
before  you;  and  the  God  of  Israel  shall  be 
your  reward.  Behold,  my  servant  shall  deal 
prudently,  he  shall  be  exalted  and  extolled, 
and  be  very  high.  As  many  were  astonished 
at  thee;  (his  visage  was  so  marred  more  than 
any  man,  and  his  form  more  than  the  sons 
of  men,)  so  shall  he  sprinkle  many  nations; 
the  Kings  shall  shut  their  mouths  at  him,  for 


212 


A  PROCLAMATION 


that  which  had  not  been  told  them  shall  they  % 
see;  and  that  which  they  had  not  heard  shall 
they  consider. 

“Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  all  these 
things  shall  surely  come,  even  as  the  Father 
hath  commanded  me.  Then  shall  this  cove¬ 
nant  which  the  Father  hath  covenanted  with 
his  people,  be  fulfilled;  then  shall  Jerusalem 
be  inhabited  again  with  my  people,  and  it 
shall  be  the  land  of  their  inheritance.  And 
verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  give  unto  you  a  sign 
that  ye  may  know  the  time  when  these  things 
shall  be  about  to  take  place,  that  I  shall  gath¬ 
er  in  from  their  long  dispersion,  my  people, 

O  house  of  Israel,  and  shall  establish  again 
among  them  my  Zion.  And  behold,  this  is 
the  thing  which  I  shall  give  unto  you  for  a 
sign,  for  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  when 
these  things  which  I  declare  unto  you,  and 
which  I  shall  declare  unto  you  hereafter  of 
myself,  and  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  shall  be  given  unto  you  of  the  Father, 
shall  be  made  known  unto  the  Gentiles,  that 
they  may  know  concerning  this  people  who 
are  a  remnant  of  the  house  of  Jacob,  and 
concerning  this  my  people  who  shall  be 
scattered  by  them;  verily,  verily,  I  say  un¬ 
to  you,  when  these  things  shall  be  made 
known  unto  them  of  the  Father,  and  shall 
come  forth  of  the  Father,  from  them  unto 


AND  WARNING. 


213 


you,  for  it  is  wisdom  in  the  Father  that  they 
should  be  established  in  this,  land,  and  be  set 
up  a  free  people  by  the  power  of  the  Father, 
that  these  things  may  come  forth  from  them 
unto  a  remnant  of  your  seed,  that  the  cove¬ 
nant  of  the  Father  may  be  fulfilled  which 
he  hath  covenant  with  his  people,  O  house  of 
Israel;  therefore,  when  these  works,  and 
the  works  which  shall  be  wrought  among 
you  hereafter,  shall  come  forth  from  the 
Gentiles  unto  your  seed,  which  shall  dwindle 
in  unbelief  because  of  iniquity:  for  thus  it 
behoveth  the  Father  that  it  should  come  forth 
from  the  Gentiles,  that  he  may  shew  forth 
his  power  unto  the  Gentiles,  for  this  cause, 
that  the  Gentiles,  if  they  will  not  harden 
their  hearts,  that  they  may  repent  and  come 
unto  me,  and  be  baptized  in  my  name,  and 
know  of  the  true  points  of  my  doctrine,  that 
they  may  be  numbered  among  my  people,  O 
house  of  Israel;  and  when  these  things  come 
to  pass,  that  thy  seed  shall  begin  to  know 
these  things,  it  shall  be  a  sign  unto  them, 
that  they  may  know  that  the  work  of  the 
Father  hath  already  commenced  unto  the 
fulfilling  of  the  covenant  which  he  hath  made 
unto  the  people  who  are  of  the  house  of  Is¬ 
rael.  And  when  that  day  shall  come, 
it  shall  come  to  pass  that  kings  shall 
shut  their  mouths;  for  that  which  had  not 


214 


A  PROCLAMATION  • 


been  told  them  shall  they  see;  and  that  which 
they  had  not  heard  shall  they  consider.  For 
in  that  day,  for  my  sake  shall  the  ,  Father 
work  a  work,  which  shall  be  a  great  and  a 
marvelous  work  among. them;  and  there  shall 
be  among  them  who  will  not  believe  it,  al¬ 
though  a  man  shall  declare  it  unto  them. — 
But  behold,  the  life  of  my  servant  shall  be 
in  my  hand;  therefore  they  shall  not  hurt 
him,  although  he  shall  be  marred  because  of 
them.  Yeti  will  heal  him,  for  I  will  show 
unto  them  that  my  wisdom  is  greater  than  the 
cunning  of  the  devil.  Therefore,  it  shall 
come  to  pass,  that  whosoever  will  not  believe 
in  my  words,  who  am  Jesus  Christ,  wThich 
the  Father  shall  cause  him  to  bringforth  un¬ 
to  the  Gentiles,  and  shall  give  unto  him  pow¬ 
er  that  he  shall  bring  them  forth  unto  the 
Gentiles,  ( it  shall  be  done  even  as  Moses 
said,)  they  shall  be  cut  off  from  among  my 
people  who  are  of  the  covenant;  and  my 
people  who  are  a  remnant  of  Jocob,  shall  be 
among  the  Gentiles,  yea, in  the  midst  of  them, 
as  a  lion  among  the  beasts  of  the  forest,  as 
a  young  lion  among  the  flocks  of  sheep,  who, 
if  he  go  through  both  treadeth  down  and 
teareth  in  pieces,  and  none  can  deliver. 

“Their  hand  shall  be  lifted  up  upon  their 
adversaries,  and  all  their  enemies  shall  be 
cut  off.  Yea,  wo  be  unto  the  Gentiles,  ex- 


AND  WARNING. 


215 


cept  they  repent,  for  it  shall  come  to  pass  in 
that  day,  saith  the  Father,  that  I  will  cut  off 
thy  horses  out  of  the  midst  of  thee,  and  I 
will  destroy  thy  chariots,  and  I  will  cut  off 
the  cities  of  thy  land,  and  throw  down  all 
thy  strong  holds;  and  I  will  cut  off  witch¬ 
crafts  out  of  thy  hand,  and  thou  shalt  have 
no  more  soothsayers;  thy  graven  images  I 
will  also  cut  off,  and  thy  standing  images  out 
of  the  midst  of  thee;  and  thou  shalt  no  more 
worship  the  works  of  thy  hands;  and  I  will 
pluck  up  thy  groves  out  of  the  midst  of  thee; 
so  will  I  destroy  thy  cities.  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  that  all  lyings,  and  deceiving, 
and  envyings,  and  strifes,  and  priestcrafts, 
and  whoredoms,  shall  be  done  away.  For 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  saith  the  Father,  that 
at  that  day,  whosoever  will  not  repent  and 
come  unto  my  beloved  Son,  them  will  I  cut 
off  from  among  my  people,  O  house  of  Isra¬ 
el;  and  I  will  execute  vengeance  and  fury 
upon  them,  even  as  upon  the  heathen,  such 
as  they  have  not  heard. 

“But  if  they  will  repent,  and  hearken  un¬ 
to  my  words,  and  harden  not  their  hearts,  I 
will  establish  my  church  among  them,  and 
they  shall  come  in  unto  the  covenant,  and 
be  numbered  among  this  the  remnant  of  Ja¬ 
cob,  unto  whom  I  have  given  this  land,  for 
their  inheritance,  and  they  shall  assist  my 


210 


A  PROCLAMATION 


people,  the  remnant  of  Jacob;  and  also,  as 
many  of  the  house  of  Israel  as  shall  come, 
that  they  may  build  a  city  which  shall  be 
called  the  New  Jerusalem;  and  then  shall 
they  assist  my  people  that  they  may  be  gath¬ 
ered  in,  who  are  scattered  upon  all  the  face 
of  the  land,  in  unto  the  New  Jerusalem.  And 
then  shall  the  power  of  heaven  come  down 
among  them;  and  I  also  will  be  in  the  midst, 
and  then  shall  the  work  of  the  Father  com¬ 
mence,  at  that  day  even  when  this  gospel 
shall  be  preached  among  the  remnant  of  this 
people.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  at  that  day 
shall  the  work  of  the  Father  commence  among 
all  the  dispesed  of  my  people;  yea,  even  the 
tribes  which  have  been  lost,  which  the  Fath¬ 
er  hath  led  away  out  of  Jerusalem.  Yea, 
the  work  shall  commence  among  all  the  dis¬ 
persed  of  my  people,  with  the  Father,  to  pre¬ 
pare  the  way  whereby  they  may  come  unto 
me,  that  they  may  call  on  the  Father  in  my 
name;  yea,  and  then  shall  the  work  com¬ 
mence,  with  the  Father,  among  all  nations, 
in  preparing  the  way  whereby  his  people 
may  be  gathered  home  to  the  land  of  their  in¬ 
heritance.  And  they  shall  go  out  from  all 
nations;  and  they  shall  not  go  out  in  haste, 
nor  go  by  flight:  for  I  will  go  before  them, 
saith  the  Father,  and  I  will  be  their  rearward. 
And  then  shall  that  which  is  written  come  to 


AND  WARNING, 


217 


4k 

“Sing,  O  barren,  thou  that  didst  not  bear; 
break  forth  into  singing,  and  cry  aloud,  thou 
that  didst  not  travil  with  child;  for  more  are 
the  children  of  the  desolate  than  the  children 
of  the  married  wife,  saith  the  Lord.  En¬ 
large  the  place  of  thy  tents,  and  let  them 
stretch  forth  the  curtains  of  thy  habitations; 
spare  not,  lengthen  thy  cords,  and  strengthen 
thy  stakes;  for  thou  shalt  break  forth  on  the 
right  hand  and  on  the  left;  and  thy  seed  shall 
inherit  the  Gentiles,  and  make  the  desolate 
cities  to  be  inhabited.  Fear  not;  for  thou 
shalt  not  be  ashamed;  neither  be  thou  con¬ 
founded:  for  thou  shalt  not  be  put  to  shame; 
for  thou  shalt  forget  the  shame  of  thy  youth, 
and  shalt  not  remember  the  reproach  of  thy 
youth,  and  shalt  not  remember  the  reproach 
of  thy  widowhood  any  more.  For  thy  ma¬ 
ker,  thy  husband,  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  his 
name;  and  thy  Redeemer  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel;  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  shall  he 
be  called.  For  the  Lord  hath  called  thee  as 
a  woman  forsaken  and  grieved  in  spirit,  and 
a  wife  of  youth,  when  thou  wast  refused, 
saith  thy  God.  For  a  small  moment  have  I 
forsaken  thee;  but  with  great  mercies  will  I 
gather  thee.  In  a  little  wrath  I  hid  my  face 
from  thee  for  a  moment;  but  with  everlasting 
kindness  will  I  have  mercy  on  thee,  saith  the 
Lord  thy  Redeemer.  For  this  is  as  the  wa- 


218 


A  PROCLAMATION 


ters  of  Noah  unto  me,  for  as  I  have  sworn 
that  the  waters  of  Noah  should  no  more  go 
over  the  earth,  so  have  I  sworn  that  I  would 
not  be  wroth  with  thee.  For  the  mountains 
shall  depart  and  the  hills  be  removed;  but 
my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  nei¬ 
ther  shall  the  covenant  of  my  people  be  re¬ 
moved,  saith  the  Lord  who  hath  mercy  on 
thee.  O  thou  afflicted,  and  tossed  with  tem¬ 
pest,  and  not  comforted !  behold,  I  will  lay 
thy  stones  with  fair  colors,  and  lay  thy  foun¬ 
dations  with  sapphires.  And  I  will  make  thy 
windows  of  agates,  and  thy  gates  of  carbun¬ 
cles,  and  all  thy  borders  of  pleasant  stones. 
And  all  thy  children  shall  be  taught  of  the 
Lord;  and  great  shall  be  the  peace  of  thy 
children. 

“In  righteousness  shalt  thou  be  established, 
thou  shalt  be  far  from  oppression;  for  thou 
shalt  not  fear,  and  from  terror;  for  it  shall 
not  come  near  thee.  Behold,  they  shall  surely 
gather  together  against  thee  but  not  by  me; 
whosoever  shall  gather  together  against  thee 
shall  fall  for  thy  sake.  Behold,  I  have  cre¬ 
ated  the  smith  that  bloweth  the  coals  in  the 
fire,  and  that  bringeth  forth  an  instrument 
for  his  work;  and  I  have  created  the  waster 
to  destroy.  No  weapon  that  is  formed  against 
thee  shall  prosper;  and  every  tongue  that 
shall  rise  against  thee  in  judgment  thou  shalt 


AND  WARNING. 


219 


condem.  This  is  the  heritage  of  the  servants 
of  the  Lord,  and  their  righteousness  is  of  me, 
saith  the  Lord. 

“And  now  behold,  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye 
had  ought  to  search  these  things;  yea,  a  com¬ 
mandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  search 
these  things  diligently;  for  great  are  the 
words  of  Isaiah.  For  surely  he  spake  as 
touching  all  things  concerning  my  people 
which  are  of  the  house  of  Israel;  therefore 
it  must  needs  be  that  he  must  speak  also  to 
the  Gentiles,  and  all  things  -that  he  spake, 
hath  been  and  shall  be,  even  according  to  the 
words  which  he  spake.  Therefore  give  heed 
to  my  words;  write  the  things  which  I  have 
told  you;  and  according  to  the  time  and  the 
will  of  the  Father,  the}7  shall  go  forth  unto 
the  Gentiles.  And  whosoever  will  harken 
unto  my  words,  and  repenteth,  and  is  bap¬ 
tised,  the  same  shall  be'  saved.  Search  the 
Prophets,  for  many  there  be  that  testify  of 
these  things.” 

Again,  page  540:  “And  now  behold,  I 
say  unto  you,  that  when  the  Lord  shall  see 
fit,  in  his  wisdom,  that  these  sayings  shall 
come  unto  the  Gentiles,  according  to  his 
word,  then  ye  may  know  that  the  covenant 
which  the  Father  hath  made  with  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  Israel,  concerning  their  restoration 
to  the  lands  of  their  inheritance,  is  already 


220  A  PROCLAMATION 

beginning  to  be  fulfilled;  and  ye  may  know 
that  the  words  of  the  Lord,  which  have  been 
spoken  by  the  Holy  Prophets,  shall  all  be 
fulfilled;  and  ye  need  not  say  that  the  Lord 
delays  his  coming  unto  the  children  of  Israel; 
and  ye  need  not  imagine  in  your  hearts  that 
the  words  which  have  been  spoken  are  vain, 
for  behold,  the  Lord  will  remember  his  cov¬ 
enant,  which  he  hath  made  unto  his  people 

of  the  house  of  Israel.  And  when  ye  shall 

•/ 

see  these  sayings  coming  forth  among  you, 
then  ye  need  not-  any  longer  spurn  at  the 
doings  of  the  Lord,  for  the  sword  of  his  jus¬ 
tice  is  in  his  right  hand,  and  behold  at  that 
day,  if  ye  shall  spurn  at  his  doings,  he  will 
cause  that  it  shall  soon  overtake  you.  Wo 
unto  him  that  spurneth  at  the  doings  of  the 
Lord;  yea,  wo  unto  him  that  shall  deny  the 
Christ  and  his  works;  yea,  wo  unto  him  that 
shall  deny  the  revelations  of  the  Lord,  and 
that  shall  say,  the  Lord  no  longer  worketh 
by  revelation,  or  by  prophecy,  or  by  gifts, 
or  by  tongues,  or  by  healings,  or  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  yea,  and  wo  un¬ 
to  him  that  shall  say  at  that  day,  that  there 
can  be  no  miracle  wrought  by  Jesus  Christ, 
to  get  gain;  for  he  that  doeth  this  shall  be¬ 
come  like  unto  the  son  of  perdition,  for  whom 
there  was  no  mercy,  according  to  the  word 
of  Christ.  Yea,  and  ye  need  not  any  Ion- 


AND  WARNING. 


221 


ger  hiss,  nor  spurn,  nor  make  game  of  the 
Jews,  nor  any  Of  the  remnant  of  the  house 
of  Israel,  for  behold  the  Lord  remembereth 
his  covenant  unto  them;  and  he  will  do  un¬ 
to  them  according  to  that  which  he  hath 
sworn;  therefore  ye  need  not  suppose  that 
ye  can  turn  the  right  hand  of  the  Lord  un¬ 
to  the  left,  that  he  may  not  execute  judg¬ 
ment  unto  the  fulfilling  of  the  covenant, 
which  he  hath  made,  unto  the  house  of  Is¬ 
rael. 

“Hearken,  O  ye  Gentiles,  and  hear  the 
words  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Living 
God,  which  he  hath  commanded  me  that  I 
should  speak  concerning  you,  for  behold,  he 
commandeth  me  that  I  should  write,  saying, 
turn,  all  ye  Gentiles,  from  your  wicked  ways, 
and  repent  of  your  evil  doings,  of  your  ly¬ 
ings  and  deceivings,  and  of  all  your  whore¬ 
doms,  and  of  your  secret  abominations,  and 
your  idolatries,  and  of  your  murders,  and 
your  priestcrafts,  and  your  envyings,  and 
your  strifes,  and  from  all  your  wickedness 
and  abominations,  and  come  unto  me,  and 
be  baptized  inhny  name,  that  ye  may  receive  a 
remission  of  your  sins,  and  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  that  ye  may  be  numbered  with 
my  people,  who  are  of  the  house  of  Israel.” 

And  again,  2d  Book  of  Nepbi,  15th  chap¬ 
ter: 


222 


A  PROCLAMATION 


“And  now  I,  Nephi,  cannot  write  all  the 
things  which  were  taught  ^pong  my  people; 
neither  am  I  mighty  in  writing,  like  unto 
speaking;  for  when  a  man  speaketh  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  carrieth  it  unto  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  men.  But  behold,  there  are 
many  that  harden  their  hearts  against  the 
Holy  Spirit,  that  it  hath  no  place  in  them; 
wherefore,  they  cast  many  things  away 
which  are  written,  and  esteem  them  as  things 
of  naught.  But  I,  Nephi,  have  written  what 
I  have  written,  and  I  esteem  it  as  of  great 
worth,  and  especially  unto  my  people. — 
For  I  pray  continually  for  them  by 
day,  and  mine  eyes  water  my  pillow  by 
night,  because  of  them;  and  I  cry  unto  my 
God  in  faith,  and  I  know  that  he  will  hear 
my  cry;  and  I  know  that  the  Lord  God  will 
consecrate  my  prayers,  for  the  gain  of  my 
people.  And  the  words  which  1  have  writ¬ 
ten  in  weakness,  will  be  made  strong  unto 
them;  for  it  persuadeth  them  to  do  good;  it 
maketh  known  unto  them  of  their  fathers, 
and  it  speaketh  of  Jesus,  and  persuadeth 
them  to  believe  in  him,  and  to  endure  to  the 
end,  which  is  life- eternal.  And  it  speaketh 
harsh  against  sin,  according  to  the  plainness 
of  the  truth;  wherefore,  no  man  will  be  an¬ 
gry  at  the  words  which  I  have  written,  save 


AND  WARNING. 


223 


he  shall  be  of  the  spirit  of  the  devil.  I  glo¬ 
ry  in  plainness;  I  glory  in  truth;  I  glory  in 
my  Jesus,  for  he  hath  redeemed  my  soul 
from  hell.  I  have  charity  for  my  people, 
and  great  faith  in  Christ,  that  I  shall  meet 
many  souls  spotless  at  his  judgment  seat.  1 
have  charity  for  the  Jews:  I  say  Jews,  be¬ 
cause  I  mean  them  from  whence  I  came.  I 
also  have  charity  for  the  Gentiles.  But  be¬ 
hold,  for  none  of  these  can  I  hope,  except 
they  shall  be  reconciled  unto  Christ,  and  en¬ 
ter  into  the  narrow  gate,  and  walk  in  the 
straight  path,  which  leads  to  life,  and  contin¬ 
ue  in  the  path  until  the  end  of  the  day  of 
probation. 

fc‘And  now,  my  beloved  brethren,  and  also 
Jews,  and  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth,  hearken 
unto  these  words,  and  believe  in  Christ;  and 
if  ye  believe  not  in  these  words,  believe  in 
Christ.  And  if  ye  shall  believe  in  Christ, 
ye  will  believe  in  these  words;  for  they  are 
the  words  of  Christ,  and  he  hath  given  them 
unto  me;  and  they  teach  all  men  that  they 
should  do  good.  And  if  they  are  not  the 
words  of  Christ,  judge  ye;  for  Christ  will 
shew  unto  you,  with  power  and  great  glory, 
that  they  are  his  words,  at  the  last  day;  and 
you  and  I  shall  stand  face  to  face  before  his 
bar;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  have  been 
commanded  of  him  to  write  these  things. 


224 


A  PROCLAMATION 


notwithstanding  my  weakness:  and  1  pray 
the  Father  in  the  name  of  Christ,  that  many 
of  us,  if  not  all,  may  be  saved  in  his  king¬ 
dom,  at  that  great  and  last  dav. 

“And  now,  my  beloved  brethren,  all  those 
who  are  of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  all  ye 
ends  of  the  earth,  I  speak  unto  you,  as  the 
voice  of  one  crying  from  the  dust:  farewell 
until  that  great  day  shall  come;  and  you 
who  will  not  partake  of  the  goodness  of  God, 
and  respect  the  words  of  the  Jews,  and  also 
my  words,  and  the  words  which  shall  pro¬ 
ceed  forth  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Lamb  of 
God,  behold,  I  bid  you  an  everlasting  fare¬ 
well,  for  these  words  shall  condemn  you  at 
the  last  day;  for  what  I  seal  on  earth,  shall 
be  brought  against  you  at  the  judgment  bar; 
for  thus  hath  the  Lord  commanded  me,  and 
I  must  obey.  Amen.'7 

Now,  O  ye  inhabitants  of  America,  it  is 
recoi’ded  in  the  book  of  Ether,  570  page,  2d 
edition  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  that  “God 
did  swear  in  his  wrath  unto  the  brother  of 
Jered,  that  whosoever  should  possess  this 
land  of  promise,  from  that  time  henceforth 
and  forever,  should  serve  him,  the  true  and 
only  God,  or  they  should  be  swept  off,  when 
the  fulness  of  his  wrath  should  come  upon 
them.  And  now  we  can  behold  the  decrees 
of  God  concerning  this  land,  that  it  is  a  land 


AND  WARNING. 


225 


of  promise,  and  whatsoever  nation  shall 
possess  it,  shall  serve  God,  or  they  shall  be 
swept  off,  when  the  fulness  of  his  wrath 
shall  come  upon  them.  And  the  fullness  of 
his  wrath  someth  upon  them  when  they  are 
ripened  in  iniquity;  for  behold,  this  is  a  land 
which  is  choice  above  all  other  lands;  where¬ 
fore  he  that  doth  possess  it  shall  serve  God, 
or  shall  be  swept  off;  for  it  is  the  everlasting 
decree  of  God.  And  it  is  not  until  the  ful¬ 
ness  of  iniquity  among  the  children  of  the 
land,  that  they  are  swept  off. 

And  this  cometh  unto  you,  O  ye  Gentiles, 
that  ye  may  know  the  decrees  of  God,  that 
ye  may  repent,  and  not  continue  in  your  in¬ 
iquities  until  the  fulness  come,  that  ye  may 
not  bring  down  the  fulness  of  the  wrath  of 
God  upon  you,  as  the  inhabitants  of  the  land 
hath  hitherto  done.  Behold,  this  is  a  choice 
land,  and  whatsoever  nation  shall  possess  it, 
shall  be  free  from  bondage,  and  from  captiv¬ 
ity,  and  from  ail  other  nations  under  heaven, 
if  they  will  but  serve  the  God  of  the  land, 
who  is  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  been  manifest 
by  the  things  which  we  have  written.” 

Now,  therefore,  O  ye  inhabitants  of  Amer¬ 
ica,  be  it  known  unto  you,  that  the  land  on 
which  you  dwell  was  given  by  the  promise  of 
God  unto  Joseph  the  son  of  Jacob,  for  an  ev¬ 
erlasting  possession;  and  it  was  blessed  bv 

8 


226 


A  PROCLAMATION 


Moses,  the  man  of  God,  and  confirmed  upon 
Joseph  and  upon  Ephraim  the  crown,  or  top 
of  the  head  of  Joseph,  for  God’s  goodwill  to¬ 
wards  them. 

Also,  be  it  known  unto  you,  that  Jesus  Christ 
did  appear  in  person  to  a  remnant  of  Jacob, 
who  were  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph — the  fore¬ 
fathers  of  the  American  Indians — and  did 
give  unto  them  all  this  land  for  their  inheri¬ 
tance.  But  this  being  a  choice  land  above 
all  other  lands,  or  it  being  more  blessed  of 
the  Lord  than  any  other  land,  God  did  decree 
and  confirmed  it  with  an  oath,  that  no  nation 
should  ever  possess  this  land,  unless  they 
would  serve  him  and  keep  his  commandments. 
Therefore,  be  it  known  unto  you,  O  ye  Gen¬ 
tiles,  who  now  possess  this  land,  that  it  was 
because  of  this  decree  of  the  great  Jehovah 
that  your  fathers  were  permitted  to  cross  the 
groat  deep,  and  come  to  this  land  with  pow¬ 
er  sufficient  to  dispossess  the  remnants  of  Jo- 
seph,  (who  had  polluted  their  inheritances  by 
transgression,)  and  take  possession  of  their 
land.  Yea,  it  was  because  of  this  dcree  that 
Christopher  Columbus,  a  native  of  Genoa, 
an  obscure  individual,  was  blessed  with  a 
largeness  of  mind  which  disdained  to  confine 
itself  to  the  old  beaten  track,  &  was  inspired 
to  contend  for  eight  years  with  the  learned 
ignorance  of  the  courts  and  councils  of  Eu- 


AND  WARNING. 


227 


rope,  when  (after  many  a  fruitless  strugle,) 
a  small  fleet  was  fitted  out  consisting  of  three 
small  vessels,  and  placed  under  his  command, 
which  sailed  from  Spain  in  1492,  under  the 
patronage  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  then  on 
the  united  thrones  of  Castile  and  Arragon, 
which  terminated  in  the  discovery  of  Amer¬ 
ica — the  land  of  Joseph — a  land  more  bless¬ 
ed  of  the  Lord  than  any  other  land  6 ‘for  the 
precious  things  of  Heaven,  for  the  dew,  and 
for  the  deep  that  coucheth  beneath,  and  for 
the  precious  fruits  brought  forth  by  the  sun, 
and  for  the  precious  things  put  forth  by  the 
Moon,  and  for  the  chief  things  of  the  an¬ 
cient  mountains  and  for  the  precious  things 
of  the  lasting  hills,  and  for  the  precious  things 
of  the  earth  and  the  fullness  thereof. ” 

And  be  it  known  unto  you,  O  ye  Gentiles, 
that  this  Columbus  was  inspired  by  the  Al¬ 
mighty  Jehovah  to  make  this  discovery,  that 
the  poor  and  meek  of  the  earth,  and  the  per¬ 
secuted  and  oppressed  of  all  nations  might 
have  a  place  to  which  they  could  fly  and  be 
secure  from  the ‘iron  grasp  of  poverty,  wretch¬ 
edness  and  want,  and  from  the  cruel  unrelen¬ 
ting  hand  of  the  oppressor.  And  when  in 
process  of  time  the  tyrants  of  the  Eastern 
World  began  to  extend  their  oppressions  un¬ 
to  this  land,  God  raised  up  a  Washington  and 
inspired  him  to  resist  their  oppression  and 


228 


A  PROCLAMATION 


by  the  strong  arm  of  military  power  to  main¬ 
tain  and  defend  the  rights  of  the  American 
colonies  as  free  and  independent  States,  and 
after  the  definitive  treaty  was  finally  signed 
and  the  American  colonies  were  acknowl¬ 
edged  free  and  independent  States  by  all  the 
European  powers,  and  the  Commissioners, 
who  were  the  sages  of  this  government,  as¬ 
sembled  from  the  different  States  and  met  at 
Philadelphia,  on  the  memorable  10th  of  May 
1787,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  the  Gen¬ 
eral  Government,  God  inspired  them  to  frame 
the  American  Constitution  so  as  thereby  to 
establish  the  rights  of  man  upon  the  broad 
basis  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  that  here 
might  forever  be  found  an  assylum  for  the 
oppressed  of  all  nations  to  flee  unto  for  re¬ 
fuge  and  protection  from  the  power  of  their 
oppressors. 

This  was  also  done  to  prepare  the  way  for 
the  coming  forth  of  the  Book  of  Mormon — 
the  stick  of  Joseph — that  he  might  lift  it  up 
(in  connection  with  the  Bible)  as  an  ensign 
upon  the  mountains,  and  set  it  as  a  sign  among 
the  people  for  the  purpose  of  gathering  and 
uniting  the  whole  house  of  Israel  into  one 
nation  upon  their  own  land,  and  also  for  the 
purpose  of  re-establishing  the  kingdom  of 
God  upon  the  earth  with  all  its  officers,  gifts 
and  blessings. 


AND  WANRINCi 


229 


Now  bo  it  known  unto  you,  O  ye  inhabit¬ 
ants  of  these  United  States,  that  it  is  by  the 
blessings  of  God,  put  upon  this  land  for  God’s 
good  will  unto  Joseph,  thereby  making  it  a 
choice  land  above  all  other  lands;  and  the 
decree  of  that  same  God,  that  whatsoever 
nation  should  possess  it  should  serve  him- or  be 
swept  off  (.or  dispossessed,)  that  you  and  your 
fathers  have  been  permitted  to  dispossess  the 
remnants  of  Joseph  because  of  their  trans¬ 
gressions;  and  to  enjoy  (in  a  national  capaci¬ 
ty)  all  those  great  national  blessings  and  priv¬ 
ileges  which  has  caused  the  institutions  of 
this  nation  to  become  the  theme  of  philosi- 
phers  and  poets,  and  also  to  enjoy  as  individ¬ 
ual  citizens  all  the  great  blessings  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty  which  are  so  highly 
prized  by  every  American  citizen. 

And  be  it  known  unto  you  further,  that 
the  Book  of  Mormon  is  true,  and  a  divinely 
inspired  record,  therefore  the  Prophecies  and 
promises  contained  in  it  will  all  be  fulfilled. 
And  it  has  came  forth  in  fulfilment  of  proph¬ 
ecy,  therefore  the  time  has  come  for  the  res¬ 
toration  of  the  whole  house  of  Israel  to  their 
own  lands  and  former  blessings.  Now  there¬ 
fore,  wo,  wo,  wo  unto  you,  O  ye  Gentiles 
who  inhabit  this  land,  except  you  speedily 
repent  and  obey  the  message  of  eternal  truth 
which  God  has  sent  for  the  salvation  of  his 


230 


A  PROCLAMATION 


people — in  bringing  forth  the  Book  of  Mor¬ 
mon  and  setting  it  as  a  sign  unto  this  gener¬ 
ation — yea,  except  ye  repent  and  subscribe 
with  your  hands  unto  the  Lord,  and  sir-name 
yourselves  Israel,  and  call  yourselves  after 
the  name  of  Jacob,  you  must  be  swept  off, 
for  behold  your  sins  have  reached  unto  heaven 
and  God  hath  remembered  your  iniquities — 
the  cries  of  the  red  men  whom  ye  and  your 
fathers  have  dispossessed  and  driven  from 
their  lands  which  God  gave  unto  them  and 
their  fathers  for  an  everlasting  inheritance, 
has  ascended  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sab- 
aoth,  and  he  has  come  down  to  deliver  them — 
hear  their  plaintive  cries — 

“Great  spirit  of  our  Fathers  lend  an  ear, 

“Pity  the  red  man,  to  his  cries  give  ear; 

“Long  ha6t  thou  scourged  him  with  thy  chasting  sore, 
“When  will  thy  vengeance  cease,  thy  wrath  be  o’er; 
“When  will  the  white  man’s  dire  ambition  cease, 
“And  let  our  scattered  remnants  dwell  in  peace? 

“Or  shall  we  (driven  to  the  western  shore) 

“Become  extinct  and  fall  to  rise  no  more? 

“Forbid,  Great  Spirit;  make  thy  mercy  known, 
“Reveal  thy  truth,  thy  wandering  captives  own, 
“Make  bare  thine  arm  of  Power  for  our  release, 

“And  o’er  the  earth  extend  the  reign  of  peace.” 

And  again;  wo,  wo,  wo  unto  the  nation  of 
these  United  States,  for  your  sins  are  increas¬ 
ed  before  God,  in  that  ye  have  suffered  the 
persecutions  and  oppression  from  which  your 
fathers  fled  when  they  came  to  this  land,  to 


AND  WARNING. 


231 


be  practiced  within  your  borders.  Yea,  ye 
have  suffered  one  of  the  free  &  independent 
States  of  your  boasted  confederacy, to  rise  up 
and  persecute  and  oppress  the  people  of  the 
Lord  until  many  a  free-born  son  of  America 
has  bit  the  dust, and  the  soil  of  Joseph’s  ‘bless¬ 
ed’  land,  has  drank  their  blood,  which  has 
smoked  to  Heaven  and  calls  for  vengeance 
upon  the  murderers,  and  for  judgment  upon 
this  nation,  who  still  acknowledges  affinity 
with  them.  Yea,  and  the  cries  of  persecu¬ 
ted  and  oppressed  American  citizens  who 
have  been  driven  from  their  possessions  and 
robbed  of  their  property,  and  thus  reduced 
to  beggary  and  want,  have  been  made  to  you 
for  redress  and  protection  in  vain.  The  cries 
of  helpless  orphans  and  sorrowing  widows 
for  redress  of  the  acccumulated  wrongs  which 
they  have  suffered  from  a  portion  of  this  na¬ 
tion,  and  for  protection  from  the  murderers 
of  their  fathers  and  husbands,  have  not  been 
regarded  by  you;  but  they  have  entered  into 
the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth;  their  cries 
have  cried  for  judgment  upon  this  nation,  and 
it  has  appeared  unto  them,  “for  an  account 
of  all  their  sufferings  shall  be  required  of  the 
rulers  of  this  nation  and  of  every  one  who 
has  assisted  their  plunderers”  saith  the  Lord. 

And  again;  wo,  wo,  wo  unto  the  inhabit¬ 
ants  in  all  this  land,  (except  they  speedily 


232 


A  PROCLAMATION 


repent  and  be  baptised  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  for  the  remission  of  their  sins,  by  those 
whom  God  has  specially  commissioned  by 
Revelation  from  Heaven,  and  sent  to  warn 
this  generation  of  the  judgments  which  await 
them;  and  to  baptise  them  that  believe  that 
.they  may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  signs 
follow  them,  for  behold,  your  sins  are  very 
great,  they  have  reached  unto  Heaven.  Yea, 
you  are  4  do  vers  of  your  own  selves — cove¬ 
tous,  boasters,  proud,  blasphemers,  disobedi¬ 
ent  to  parents,  unthankful,  unholy;  without 
natural  affection,  truce-breakers,  false  ac¬ 
cusers,  incontinent,  fierce,  despisers  of  those 
that  are  good;  traitors,  heady,  high-minded, 
lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God.” 
And  you  “have  a  form  of  Godliness,”  but 
“deny  the  gifts  and  power  of  God.  *7 — (See  2d 
Tim.  3d  chapt.  from  1st  to  9th  verse.) — 
Therefore  you  have  all  gone  out  of  the  way, 
you  have  become  corrupted.  Because  of 
pride  and  because  of  false  teachers  and  false 
doctrine,  your  churches  have  become  cor¬ 
rupted;  and  your  churches  are  lifted  up;  be¬ 
cause  of  pride  you  are  puffed  up.  You  rob 
the  poor  because  of  your  fine  sanctuaries; 
you  rob  the  poor  because  of  your  fine  cloth¬ 
ing,  and  you  persecute  the  meek  and  the  poor 
in  heart,  because  in  your  pride  you  are  puff¬ 
ed  up.  You  wear  stiff  necks  and  high  heads: 


AND  WARNING. 


233 


yea,  and  because  of  pride  and  wickedness, 
and  abominations  and  whoredoms  you  have 
all  gone  astray,  save  it  be  a  few,  who  are  the 
humble  followers  of  Christ;  nevertheless, 
they  are  led,  that  in  many  instances  they  do 
err,  because  they  are  taught  by  the  precepts 
of  men.  O  ye  wise  and  learned,  and  rich, 
who  are  puffed  up  in  the  pride  of  your  hearts, 
and  all  you  who  preach  false  doctrines  and 
all  who  commit  whoredoms,  and  pervert  the 
right  way  of  the  Lord;  wo,  wo,  wo  unto  you, 
saith  the  Lord  God  Almighty,  for  you  shall 
be  thrust  down  to  hell.  Wo  unto  you  who 
turn  aside  the  just  for  a  thing  of  naught,  and 
revile  against  that  which  is  good  and  say  that 
it  is  of  no  worth;  for  the  day  has  come  that 
the  Lord  God  wTill  speedily  visit  you  with  his 
great  and  sore  judgments  unto  your  utter  dis- 
truction.  For  except  ye  speedily  repent  of 
all  your  wickedness  and  abominations,  and 
believe  in  and  obey  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ 
contained  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  (it  shall 
be  done  even  as  Moses  said,)  you  shall  be 
cut  off  from  among  the  people  who  arc  of  the 
covenant,  for  the  remnant  of  Jacob  whom  ye 
and  your  fathers  have  dispossessed  of  their 
land  shall  be  among  you;  yea,  in  the  midst 
of  you,  as  a  lion  among  the  beasts  of  'the  for^ 
est,  and  as  a  young  lion  among  the  flocks  of 
sheep,  who,  if  he  go  through  both  treadeth 


234 


A  PROCLAMATION 


down,  and  teareth  in  pieces  and  none  can  de¬ 
liver.  Yea,  their  hand  will  be  lifted  up  upon 
their  adversaries  and  all  their  enemies  will  be 
cut  off.  (See  Micah  5thchapt.  from  the  7th 
to  the  10th  verse.) 

Now  therefore,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord 
by  the  mouth  of  Joseph  Smith,  his  Prophet, 
given  and  written  on  the  23d  day  of  July  1837,  - 
— “ Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  darkness 
covereth  the  earth  and  gross  darkness  the 
minds  of  the  people,  and  all  flesh  has  be¬ 
come  corrupt  before  my  face.  Behold,  ven- 
gance  cometh  speedily  upon  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth.  A  day  of  wrath — a  day  of  bur¬ 
ning — a  day  of  desolation,  of  weeping,  of 
mourning  and  of  lamentation;  and  as  a  whirl¬ 
wind  it  shall  come  upon  all  the  face  of  the 
earth  saith  the  Lord.  And  upon  my  house 
shall  it  begin;  and  from  my  house  shall  it  go 
forth,  saith  the  Lord.” 

Now  therefore,  hear  and  take  warning  ! 
for  as  a  day  of  wrath  and  of  burning,  and  of 
desolation,  of  weeping,  of  mourning  and  of 
lamentation  did  come  as  a  whirlwind,  (that  is, 
suddenly,  when  they  were  not  expecting  it,) 
upon  the  Lord’s  house — the  Church  of  God — - 
in  the  State  of  Missouri  in  the  fall  of  1838, 
so  will  a  day  of  wrath  and  of  burning,  and  of 
desolation,  of  weeping,  of  mourning  and  of 
lamentation  come  as  a  whirlwind  upon  all 


AND  WARNING* 


235 


the  inhabitants  of  this  land,  and  upon  all  the 
face  of  the  earth  in  fulfilment  of  the  above 
prediction,  and  they  cannot  escape  it,  for  the 
t  Lord  hath  spoken  it.  Now  therefore,  pause 
and  consider  !  for  the  day  has  come  that  judg¬ 
ment  has  »began  at  the  house  of  God.  And 
if  it  has  begun  with  us,  what  will  the  end 
be  of  those  who  obey  not  the  Gospel  of  God  ! 
1  answer;  they  will  be  utterly  destroyed,  for 
it  is  the  hour  of  God’s  judgment;  and  the 
generation  in  which  the  Lord  will  come  with 
ten  thousand  of  his  saints  to  execute  judg¬ 
ment  upon  all;  as  Enoch  prophecied.  (See 
Jude  14th  and  15th  verses.)  And  to  take 
vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God  and 
that  obey  not  the  gospel:  for. behold! — 

In  eighteen  hundred  thirty-eight, 

As  I  will  now  to  you  relate — 

’Twas  on  the  eighteenth  day  of  May, 

About  the  closing  of  the  day, 

A  brilliant  thing  I  did  espy, 

’Twas  passing  through  the  eastern  ekvs 

jri  L'vli  **!  iiitj  ii  iO  De, 

A  fiery  stream  behind  I  see. 

This  sign  in  heaven  passed  along, 

As  you  will  learn  by  this  my  song; 

Until  it  passed  the  house  of  God,* 

Who’ll  scourge  this  nation  with  his  rod. 

Then  it  was  parted,  roll’d  in  balls, 

And  vanished  out  of  eight  of  ail. 

Upon  my  mind  the  words  then  broke, 

Which  God  by  Joel,  the  Prophet,  spoke. t 

*The  Temple  in  Kirtland,  Ohio.  T  — 

tjoel  2d  chapt.,  28th  to  32d  verg$8. 


286 


A  PROCLAMATION 


This  is  the  day  in  which  Jie  isaid 
He  would  show  wonders,  fire. and  blood — 
And  on  hie  saints  the  spirit  pour, 

And  scourge  the  wicked  very  sore. 

While  all  who  would  call  on  his  name, 
Should  find  deliverance  from  the  same; 
For  in  Mount  Zion  in  the  West, 

And  in  Jerusalem  in  the  East, 

There  is  deliverance  for  them  all, 

And  in  the  remant  whom  he’ll  call. 

O  what  a  glorious  time  ’twill  be, 

When  all  these  gathered  we  shall  see; 
The  wicked  then  cannot  us  harm, 

Upheld  and  saved  by  God’s  own  arm. 

The  earth  will  then  be  cleansed  by  fire, 
And  Saints  receive  their  long  desire* 
Come  nil  ye  saints,  lift  up  your  heads, 
Rejoice  in  what  the  Saviour  said. t 
In  eighteen  hundred  and  sixteen, 
According  to  his  word  were  seen, 

Signs  in  the  radiant  orb  cf  day, 

His  wondrous  works  for  to  display. 

Since  then  the  moon  has  shown  her  signs, 
As  tokens  of  the  latter  times; 

In  eighteen  hundred  thirty-three, 

As  many  did  most  plainly  see, 

3igns  in  the  stars  were  then  shone  forth, 
And  plainly  seen  in  all  the  earth. 

On  earth  the  nations  are  distress’d, 
Perplexity  doth  seize  the  best; 

MeiV's  hearts  are  failing  them  for  fear, 
Because  they  will  not  God  revere. 

God’s  kingdom  surely  now  has  come, 

*Mal.  4th  chapt.,  1st  and  2d  verses. 
fUuke  21  chapt.,  25th  and  26th  verse?, 


AND  WARNING. 


237 


And  Israel  will  be  gathered  home;* * 

For  Joseph’s  record  has  come  forth, 

God’s  law  to  Ephraim  of  great  worth,  t 
Out  of  the  earth  the  truth  has  sprung, 

God’s  law  to  man  as  David  sung;t 
The  aarth  opened  and  they  brought  forth, 
Salvation,  as  the  Prophet  saith.§ 

And  Ariel,  sure  has  spoken  too, 

Out  of  the  ground,  even  to  you ;  || 

The  book,  the  words  of  which  was  sealed, 

Has  come — the  words  to  us  revealed.  5T 
The  deaf  are  made  to  hear  the  same; 

As  we  the  gospel  do  proclaim; 

The  blind,  they  too  are.  made  to  see, 

The  Prophet  said  it  so  should  be.* 

Now  Joseph’s  stick  and  Judah’s  too, 

Are  one — as  I  have  shown  to  you;t 
The  Lord  took  Joseph’s  from  the  ground, 

And  sent  it  to  the  nations  round. 

Thus  it  is  now  a  sign  to  them, 

That  God  will  Israel  soon  redeem ;£ 

Fie  has  inspired  and  sent  men  forth, 

These  books  to  bear  in  all  the  earth. 

An  ensign  for  the  nations  all,  § 

The  gentiles  too  may  share  the  call, 

And  Jacob’s  children  they  will  bringJI 
Unto  Mount  Zion,  where  they’ll  sing.* 

Then  Jacob’s  face  will  not  wax  pale, 

The  work  of  God  will  sure  prevail; 

His  children  will  not  Christ  deny, 

But  Jacob’s  God  will  sanctify. t 

*Ezek.  37ihchapt.  21st  verse.  fHosea  8th  chapt. 
12th  verse.  JPsa.  85th  chapt.  11th  verse.  §Isa.  45th 
chapt.  8ih  verse.  ||Isa.  29th  chapt.  1st  to  4th  verses. 
51 Isa.  29th  chapt.  11th  verse. 

*Isa.  29th  chapt.  18th  verse.  lEzek.  37th  chapt. 
19th  verse,  tlsa  G8th  chapt.  19th  verse.  §Isa.  lltli 
chapt.  12th  verse.  || Isa .  66th  chapt.  20th  verse. 

*Jer.  31st  c.  12th  v.  flea.  29th  c.  22d  and  23d  v , 


238 


ACROSTIC. 

« 


And  Jacob  in  their  midst  will  be, 

Rejoicing  with  his  children  free; 

And  Jesus  Christ  will  then  descend, 

In  clouds  and  fire  to  make  an  end* 

Of  all  the  wicked;  and  it  saith 
A  thousand  years  he’ll  reign  on  earth,  t 
This  generation  shall  not  pass, 

Until  these  things  all  come  to  pass. 

Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away, 

His  word  shall  not,  to  you  I  say; 

These  things  shall  come  as  be  has  said, 

And  all  shall  know  that  he  is  God. 

Then  to  yourselves  take  heed  I  say,t 
Watch  and  do  not  neglect  to  pray; 

For  as  a  snare  ’twill  come  (he  saith) 

On  all  who  dwell  on  the  whole  earth. 

*Luke  2 let  chapt.  27th  verse. 

2dThess.  1st  chapt.  7th  and  8th  verses.  tRev.  20th 
chapt.  6th  verse.  fLuke  21st  chapt.  32th  to  36th  v’ee. 

APPENDIX  No.  2. 


ACROSTIC. 

C  ome  father,  brothers,  eistersall, 

H  ere  take  the  parting  hand;* 

A  nd  while  I  do  the  Gospel  preach, 

R  epent  is  God’s  command.! 

L  eave  all  your  sins  and  wickedness, 

E  ven  as  Christ  commands;^: 

S  eek  God,  repent  and  be  baptized, 

T  o  fulfil  his  demand. $ 

H  e  will  then  your  sins  all  remit, 

O  n  you  the  spirit  pour;}| 

*Math.  19th  chapt.  29th  verse.  fActs  17th  chapt. 
30th  verse,  flea.  55th  chapt.  7th  verse.  §Acts  2d 
chapt.  38th  verse.  ([John  15th  chapt.  26th  verse. — 


ACROSTIC- 


239 


M  ore  light  than  you  before  could  get. 

P  rophetic  gifts  and  power. 

S  ealed  by  the  spirit  then  in  Christ, 

O  r  by  the  Holy  Ghost ;* * 

N  or  will  you  then  deny  the  Lord, 

A  nd  be  forever  lost.f 
!N  ow  listen  all  my  relatives, 

E  ven  give  heed  to  me;f 
L  o!  Christ  Jesus  he  hath  spoken, 

D  ear  friends,  I  say  to  me — § 

E  ven,  “go  and  preach  the  Gospel, 

R  epentance  in  my  name.)] 

O  never  become  discouraged, 

F  or  I  will  you  maintain;^ 

T  o  all  the  nations  far  and  near, 

H  earken!  soy  ye  to  them,* 

E  re  Christ  shall  in  his  wrath  come  down, 

C  ome  down  to  punish  them.”! 

H  ear  now  therefore  concerning  Christ, 

U  pon  this  earth  he’ll  stand ;t 
R  estore  it  all  as  at  the  first, 

C  ause  all  to  be  one  land.§ 

H  e’ll  to  the  earth  all  things  restore, 

O  f  which  the  Prophets  spoke;  j| 

F  or  Joseph’s  record  has  come  forth, 

^Tlst  Cor.  12th  chapt. 

*Eph.  1st  chapt.  13th  verse.  +2d  Peter  1st  chapt. 
10th  verse.  tGen.  37th  chapt.  5th  to  the  9th  verse. 
§Isa.  66th  chapt.  19th  verse.  Also  Jer.  16th  chapt. 
16th  verse.  ]|Math.  24th  chapt.  14th  verse.  Also 
Rev.  14th  chapt.  6th  and  7th  verses.  ^IMath.  6th 
ehapt.  25th  to  34th  verses.  Also  Math.  10th  chapt. 
9th  to  42d  verses. 

*Isa.  34th  chapt.  1st  and  2d  verses.  t2d  Thess. 
1st  chapt.  7th  and  8th  verses.  tZac.  14th  chapt.  4th 
verse.  Also  Acts  3d  chapt.  20th  verse.  §Isa  62d 
chapt.  4th  verse.  i| Acts  3d  chapt.  21st  verse. 


240 


ACROSTIC. 


Just  as  the  Prophets  wrote.* 

E  ternal  life  is  offered  now, 

S  alvation  full  and  free;t 
U  nto  all  those  who  will  obey, 

S  alvation  is  made  free.f 

C  ome  hearken  then,  ve  nations  all, 

H  ear  and  obey  the  word,§ 

R  epent  and  be  baptized  for  sins, 

In  water — into  God. || 

S  o  then  the  Holy  Ghost  will  come, 

T  o  ail  who  for  it  seek;  ft 

O  !  yes  those  gifts  that  Jesus  bought, 

F  or  all  who  are  the  meek.* 

• 

L  o !  happy  then  you’  II  ever  be, 

A  nd  light  of  life  you’ll  have,! 

T  he  Lord  himself  has  spoken  it, 

T  he  Lord  who  can  you  save.f 
E  ven  from  Heaven  Christ  will  come, 

R  estoringall  that’s  lost ; $ 

D  estroying  all  the  wicked  ones, 

A  nd  all  his  saints  he’ll  bless.  || 

Y  e  gentiles  who  despise  these  things, 

S  alvation  you  reject;  ft 
A  nd  if  you  do  not  soon  repent, 

I  n  torment  you’ll  be  left.* 

JN-  ow  as  I  my  acrostic  close, 

T  o  all  the  world  I  say — f 
S  aints  in  God’s  kingdom  will  repose, 

The  wicked  he  will  slay.f 

*Ez.  37th,  19th,  Isa.  29th,  11th  &  12ih.  Also  Psalms 
85th,  11th.  Isa.  45,  8.  tlsa.  55,  1.  fJoel  2,  32. 
$Acts  17,  30.  ||  Acts  22,  16,  &  10,  47.  Also  Gal.  3,  * 

27.  ftActs  19,  5&6.  *Eph.  4,  7  to  13.  tJolin  17, 
3.  t  John  10,  37  &  38.  §Acts  3,  21.  ||2  Thess.  1, 

7  to  10.  ftActs  13,  41.  *Isa.  24,  17  &  18.  tiro. 
18,  3.  tRev.  20,  6.  Zac.  14,  3. 


APPENDIX  No.  3. 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES. 

MORE  EVIDENCES  IN  PROOF  OF  THE  BOOK  OF 

MORMON. 

It  is  probably  well  known  throughout  the 
United  States,  that  in  1839,  Mr.  Stephens, 
the  author  of  6 ‘Incidents  of  Travel  in  Egypt, 
Arabia  Petrsea,  and  the  Holy  Land,’;  ac¬ 
cepted  a  government  mission  to  Guatamala 
tendered  to  him  by  Mr.  Van.Buren,  then 
President  of  the  United  States  for  the  purpose 
of  visiting  and  examining  the  Antiquities  of 
that  country,  and  reporting  the  same  to  the 
people  of  this  nation.  Mr.  Stephens  was  ac¬ 
companied  on  his  mission  by  Mr.  Cather- 
wood.  These  two  eminent  travellers  having 
finished  their  mission  and  returned;  have 
been  lecturing  of  late  in  the  city  of  New- 
York  on  the  Antiquities  which  they  have 
visited  in  the  ruined  cities  of  Central  Ameri¬ 
ca.  Mr.  Stephens  and  Mr.  Catherwood  left 
New-York  in  the  month  of  October  1839, 
to  visit  and  examine  the  memorials  of  a  peo¬ 
ple  whom  their  discoveries  prove  to  have 
been  once  high  and  exalted  in  the  scale  of 
intelligence — a  mighty  people,  skilled  in  the 
arts  and  sciences,  and  whose  splendor  would 


242 


AMERICAN 


not  be  eclipsed  by  any  of  the  nations  of  Anti¬ 
quity.  They  landed  at  Balize,  in  the  Bay  of 
Yucatan,  or  Honduras, the  English  settlement 
so  remarkable  for  its  produce  of  mahogany. 
From  thence  they  travelled  through  the  in¬ 
terior  of  the  country  into  the  State  of  Hon¬ 
duras,  one  of  the  States  of  Central  America, 
and  to  Copan  where  a  mass  of  antiquities  was 
found.  This  city  was  situated  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Copan,  and  its  ruins  consists  of 
massive  stone  walls  enclosing  a  considerable 
space;  statues,  columns  carved  to  a  resem¬ 
blance  of  human  figures;  alters  with  bas  re¬ 
liefs  and  pyramids.  This  city  is  called  by 
the  natives  Las  Ventanas,  or  the  Windows, 
from  the  appearance  of  a  part  of  the  wall 
overlooking  the  river.  The  following  is  a 
description  of  the  ruins  of  this  city  by  Mr. 
Stephens,  copied  from  the  Albany  Weekly 
Journal,  of  July  3d,  1841: — 

RUINS  OF  THE  CITY  OF  COPAN. 

The  wall  was  of  cut  stone,  well  laid,  and 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  We  as¬ 
cended  by  large  stone  steps,  in  some  places 
perfect,  and  in  others  thrown  down  by  trees, 
which  had  grown  up  between  the  crevices, 
and  reached  a  terrace,  the  form  of  which  it 
was  impossible  to  make  out,  from  the  density 
of  the  forest  in  which  it  was  enveloped. — 
Our  guide  cleared  a  way  with  his  machete, 


ANTIQUITIES. 


243 


and  we  passed,  as  it  lay  half  buried  in  the 
earth,  a  large  fragment  of  stone  elaborately 
sculptured,  and  came  to  the  angle  of  a  struc¬ 
ture  with  steps  on  the  sides,  in  form  and  ap¬ 
pearance,  so  far  as  the  trees  would  enable  us 
to  make  it  out,  like  the  sides  of  a  pyramid. 

Diverging  from  the  base,  and  working  our 
way  through  the  thick  woods,  we  came  upon 
a  square  stone  column,  about  fourteen  feet 
high  and  three  feet  on  each  side,  sculptured 
in  very  bold  relief,  and  on  all  four  of  the 
sides  from  the  base  to  the  top.  The  front 
was  the  figure  of  a  man  curiously  and  richly 
dressed,  and  the  face  evidently  a  portrait, 
solemn,  stern,  and  well  fitted  to  excite  terror. 
The  back  was  of  a  different  design,  unlike 
any  thing  we  had  ever  seen  before,  and  the 
sides  were  covered  with  hieroglyphics.  This 
our  guide  called  an  ‘Idol;’  and  before  it,  at  a 
distance  of  three  feet,  was  a  large  block  of 
stone,  also  sculptured  with  figures  and  em¬ 
blematical  devices,  which  he  called  an  altar. 
The  sight  of  this  unexpected  monument  put 
at  rest  once  and  forever,  in  our  minds,  all  un¬ 
certainty  in .  regard  to  the  character  of 
American  antiquities,  and  gave  us  the  assu¬ 
rance  that  the  objects  we  were  in  search  of 
were  interesting,  not  only  as  the  remains  of 
an  unknown  people,  but  as  works  of  art,  pro¬ 
ving,  like  newly  discovered  historical  rec- 


244 


AMERICAN 


ords,  that  the  people  who  occupied  the  conti¬ 
nent  of  America  were  not  savages. #  With 
an  interest  perhaps  stronger  than  we  had  ev¬ 
er  felt  in  wandering  among  the  ruins  of 
Egypt,  we  followed  our  guide,  wrho  some¬ 
times  missing  his  way,  with  a  constant  and 
vigorous  use  of  his  machete,  conducted  us 
through  the  thick  forest,  among  half-buried 
fragments  to  L4  monuments  of  the  same 
character  and  appearance,  some  with  more 
elegant  designs,  and  some  in  workmanship 
equal  to  the  finest  monuments  of  the  Egyp¬ 
tians;  one  displaced  from  its  pedestal  by  enor¬ 
mous  roots;  another  locked  in  the  close  em¬ 
brace  of  branches  of  trees,  and  almost  lifted 
out  of  the  earth;  another  hurled  to  the  ground 
and  bound  down  by  huge  vines  and  creepers; 
and  one  standing,  with  its  altar  before  it,  in 
a  grove  of  trees  which  grew  around  it,  seem¬ 
ingly  to  shade  and  shroud  it  as  a  sacred  thing; 
in  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  woods,  it  seem¬ 
ed  a  divinity  mourning  over  a  fallen  people. 

We  returned  to  the  base  of  the  pyramidal 
structure,  and  ascended  by  regular  stone 
steps,  in  some  places  forced  apart  by  bushes 
and  saplings,  and  in  others  thrown  down  by 
the  growth  of  large  trees,  while  some  re¬ 
mained  entire.  In  parts  they  were  ornamen- 

*  In  the  Book  of  Mormon  ia  found  a  history  of  this 
mysterious  people. 


ANTIQUITIES. 


245 


ted  with  sculptured  figures  and  rows  of  death’s 
heads.  Climbing  over  the  ruined  top,  we 
reached  a  terrace  overgrown  with  trees,  and, 
crossing  it,  descended  by  stone  steps  into  an 
area  so  covered  with  trees  that  at  first  we 
could  not  make  out  its  form,  but  which,  on 
clearing  our  way  with  our  machete,  we  as¬ 
certained  to  be  a  square,  and  with  steps  on 
all  the  sides  almost  as  perfect  as  those  of  the 
Roman  ampitheatre.  -  The  steps  were  orna¬ 
mented  on  the  south  side:  about  half  way  up, 
forced  out  of  its  place  by  roots,  was  a  coloss¬ 
al  head  evidently  a  portrait.  We  ascended 
these  steps,  and  reached  a  broad  terrace  a 
hundred  feet  high  overlooking  the  river,  and 
supported  by  the  wall  which  we  had  seen  from 
the  opposite  bank.  The  whole  terrace  was 
covered  with  trees,  and  even  at  this  height 
from  the  ground  were  two  gigantic  Ceibas, 
or  wild  cotton  trees  of  India,  about  twenty 
feet  in  circumference, extending  their  half-na¬ 
ked  roots  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  feet  around, 
binding  down  the  ruins,  and  shading  them 
with  their  wide  spreading  branches.  We  sat 
down  on  the  very  edge  of  the  wall,  and  strove 
in  vain  to  penetrate  the  mystery  by  which 
we  were  surrounded.*  Who  were  the  peo- 

By  reading  the  Book  of  Mormon  the  mystery  ia 
’><metrate<h 


240 


AMERICAN 


pie  that  built  this  city?*  In  the  ruined  cities 
of  Egypt,  even  in  the  long-lost  Petrcea,  the 
stranger  knows  the  story  of  the  people  whose 
vestiges  are  around  him.  America,  say  his¬ 
torians,  was  peopled  by  savages;  but  sava¬ 
ges  never"  reared  these  structures;  savages 
never  carved  these  stones.  We  asked  the  In¬ 
dians  who  made  them,  and  their  dull  answer 
was  “Quien  sake?77  6 6 who  knows?75 

There  were  no  associations  connected  with 
the  place;  none  of  those  stirring  recollections 
which  hallow  Rome,  Athens,  and 
“The  world’s  great  mistress  on  the  Egyptian  plain;” 

but  architecture,  sculpture,  and  painting,  all 
the  arts  which  embellish  life,  had  flourished 
in  this  bye-grown  forest;  orators,  warriors, 
and  statesmen,  beauty,  ambition  and  glory, 
had  lived  and  passed  away,  and  none  knew 
that  such  things  had  been,  or  could  tell  of 
their  past  existence.  Books,  the  records  of 
knowledge  are  silent  on  this  theme. f  The 

*  The  Nephites,  who  are  a  remnant  of  the  tribe  of 
Joseph.  Their  history  is  found  in  the  Book  of  Mor¬ 
mon.  See  Book  of  Mormon,  page  305,  2d  edition: 
also  498  and  499:  also  543. 

t  Mr.  Stephens  is  mistaken,  for  there  is  one  Book 
which  is  not  silent  on  this  theme.  It  is  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  which  was  discovered  in  1827,  and  transla¬ 
ted  and  published  in  1830,  by  a  young  man  then  living 
in  Manchester,  Ontario  co.  N.  Y.  This  Book  was 
brought  to  light  by  the  ministering  of  an  Angel,  and 
translated  by  the  gift  and  power  of  God.  It  contains 


ANTIQUITIES. 


247 


city  was  desolate.  No  remnant  of  this  race 
hangs  round  the  ruins,  with  traditions  handed 
down  from  father  to  son,  and  from  genera¬ 
tion  to  generation.  It  lay  before  us  like  a 
shattered  bark  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  her 
masts  gone,  her  name  effaced,  her  crew  per¬ 
ished,  and  none  to  tell  whence  she  came,  to 
whom  she  belonged,  how  long  on  her  voyage, 
or  what  caused  her  destruction;  her  lost  peo¬ 
ple  to  be  traced  only  by  some  fancied  resem¬ 
blance  in  the  construction  of  the  vessel,  and 
perhaps  never  to  be  known  at  all.#  The  place 
where  we  sat,  was  it  a  citadel  from  which  an 
unknown  people  had  sounded  the  trumpet  of 
war?  or  a  temple  for  the  worship  of  the  God 
of  peace;!  or  did  the  inhabitants  worship  the 
idols  made  with  their  own  hands  and  offer 
sacrifices  on  the  stones  before  them?  All 

the  history  not  only  of  a  people  who  built  this  city,  but 
plso  all  the  ancient  ruined  cities  of  America.  It  speaks 
of  their  knowledge  of  architecture,  agriculture,  and  all 
the  arts  that  embellish  life;  it  speaks  of  orators,  war¬ 
riors  and  statesmen  who  once  lived  and  flourished  upon 
this  land;  and  records  their  ambition  and  glory;  but 
who  now  are  numbered  with  the  mighty  dead.  It  also 
informs  us  how,  and  the  reason  why  they  are  fallen. 
See  page  77  and  570,  2d  edition.  For  proof  of  the 
truth  of  this  Book,  see  first  part  of  this  work. 

*Matthew,  10th  chapt.  26th  verse,  the  Saviour 
says:  “There  is  nothing  covered  that  shall  not  be 
revealed,  and  hid  that  shall  not  be  known.” 

t  It  probably  was  a  temple  for  the  worship  of  the  God 
of  peace.  See  Book  of  Mormon,  page  77,  2d  edition, 


248 


AMEPvICAN 


was  mystery,  dark,  impenetrable  mystery, 
and  every  circumstance  increased  it.f  In 
Egypt  the  colossal  skeletons  of  gigantic  tem¬ 
ples  stand  in  the  unwatered  sands  in  all  the 
nakedness  of  desolation;  here  an  immense 
forest  shrouded  the  ruins,  hiding  them  from 
sight,  heightening  the  impression  and  moral 
effect,  and  giving  an  intensity  and  almost 
wildness  to  the  interest. 

The  following  is  from  the  {New-  Yorlc)  Week¬ 
ly  Herald  as  taken  from  Mr.  Catlierwood’s 

lectures  in  that  city: 

The  second  lecture  commenced  with  de¬ 
scriptions  and  illustrations  of  the  ruins  of 
Santa  .Cruiz  del  Quiche,  once  one  of  the 
most  important  cities  of  Central  America, 
which  the  lecturer  visited  after  leaving  Co¬ 
pan.  This  city,  he  said,  had  been  of  im¬ 
mense  extent,  but  its  houses  had  wholly  dis¬ 
appeared,  and  nothing  remained  but  a  ruin¬ 
ed  Palace  and  Fortress.  The  fortress,  which 
guarded  the  entrance  to  the  Royal  Palace,  is 
still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  and  is  un¬ 
approachable,  except  by  a  causeway  from  one 
point.  The  space  of  ground  in  front  of  the 
Palace  has  an  area  of  a  thousand  square  feet, 
and  bound  by  massive  stone  walls,  on  which 
are  painted  figures  of  various  animals.  In 

fin  the  Book  of  Mormon  the  my3tery  is  revealech 


ANTIQUITIES. 


240 


the  centre  of  the  place  rises  a  singular  edi¬ 
fice,  which  is  designated  the  Place  of  Sacri¬ 
fice.  This  building  was  forty  feet  square  at 
the  base,  and  thirty  feet  high,  with  a  flat,  lev¬ 
el,  but  now  ruined  space  on  the  summit,  of 
twelve  feet  square.  Access  to  the  top  is  at¬ 
tainable  only  on  one  side,  by  a  flight  of  steep 
steps,  the  remaining  three  sides  being  very 
precipitous.  The  whole  structure  is  still  dis¬ 
tinguishable.  In  the  distance  are  seen  por¬ 
tions  of  the  massive  walls  or  battlements. 
From  a  Spanish  priest,  with  whom  the  lectur¬ 
er  met  in  his  travels,  he  learned  that  a  cave 
in  this  vicinity  had  been  discovered,  contain¬ 
ing  skulls  of  a  size  much  larger  than  the  nat¬ 
ural  head. 

Leaving  the  city  of  Santa  Cruiz  del  Qui¬ 
che,  the  travellers  arrived,  after  several 
day’s  journey,  at  Gueque  tenango,  which, 
like  the  former  city,  was  found  to  be  of  con¬ 
siderable  breadth.  Here  were  found  pyra¬ 
mids,  which  there  was  some  reason  to  be¬ 
lieve  contained  spacious  chambers;  but  on 
attempting  to  dig  through  the  side  of  one  of 
them,  stone  and  mortar  alone  were  met  with. 
Theynext  passed  to  Occsingo  with  much  diffi- 
cultyjthe  native  Indian  tribes  being  exceeding¬ 
ly  reluctant  to  visit  these  ruins,  and  without  a 
guide  the  journey  was  almost  hopeless. — 
Chance,  however,  threw  a  guide  in  their 


250 


AMERICAN 


way;  and  the  journey  was  made  on  horse¬ 
back  through  a  dense  forest,  in  which  the 
lemon  tree  was  very  abundant.  At  Ocosin- 
go,  there  are  five  spacious  terraces,  a  pyra¬ 
midal  structure,  50  feet  in  front,  and  35  feet 
deep,  with  door  ways  ten  feet  wide.  Over 
these  door  ways  are  stucco  ornaments,  which 
reminded  the  travellers  of  the  winged  globe 
found  over  Egyptian  portals.  The  doors  led 
to  an  ante-chamber,  and  opposite  to  them 
was  another  door,  which  was  blocked  up 
with  rubbish,  in  which  was  a  large  quantity 
of  wood,  as  hard  as  lignum  vitse.  This  door 
way  excited  much  interest.  The  Indians 
believed  that  beyond  it  was  a  cavern  which, 
if  an  entrance  could  be  effected,  would  lead 
the  travellers  to  Palenque  in  three  hours — a 
distance  otherwise  of  150  miles.  The  trav¬ 
ellers  vigorously  engaged  in  the  enterprise, 
and  gained  access  through  the  door-way,  but 
they  found  it  was  merely  an  entrance  to  an 
apartment  ten  feet  square,  ornamented  with 
stucco  and  painted  figures.  The  place,  how¬ 
ever,  was  so  hot,  and  close,  and  offensive, 
that  they  could  not  long  remain  to  examine 
its  structure;  but  they  remained  long  enough 
to  ascertain  that  at  the  bottom  wasabitumen- 
ous  substance,  like  the  bitumen  used  by  the 
Egyptians  to  embalm  the  bodies  of  their 
dead. 


ANTIQUITIES. 


251 


The  great  object  of  their  research  was 
Palenque,  which  is  situated  in  the  province 
of  Chiapas,  and  is  distant  about  a  hundred 
miles  from  the  Atlantic  coast;  it  stands  on 
the  bank  of  a  small  river,  and  near  a  range 
of  lofty  hills.  The  ruins  which  the  travel¬ 
lers  here  visited,  consisted  of  a  group  of  six 
buildings,  or  edifices,  and  an  acqueduct. — 
The  palace  stands  on  a  pyramidal  base,  300 
feet  in  front,  200  in  breadth,  and  60  feet 
high.  The  building  of  the  palace  itself,  pro¬ 
perly  so  called,  is  228  feet  in  breadth,  facing 
towards  the  east.  The  front  is  divided  into 
fourteen  door-ways,  with  fifteen  on  the  eas¬ 
tern  front,  each  pier  being  ornamented  with 
one  or  more  figures  in  stucco,  beautifully  ^ 
sculptured  and  painted.  A  double  corridor, 
nine  feet  wide,  and  twenty  feet  high,  extends 
all  round  this  building,  and  altogether,  in 
admeasurement,  it  is  800  feet.  The  roofs 
are  a  sort  of  arch,  which  come  nearly  to  a 
point,  and  are  constructed  of  stones  which 
overlap  each  other,  the  summit  being  cov¬ 
ered  with  stones  that  are  large  and  fiat.  They 
are  built  on  the  same  principle  as  the  Cyclo¬ 
pean  structures,  which  are  met  with  in 
Greece  and  Italy. 

Passing  into  the  structure,  of  which  a 
a  ground  plan  was  exhibited,  there  is  found 
a  court  yard,  80  feet  by  70,  with  descending 


252 


AMERICAN 


steps,  30  feet  wide,  which  are  flanked  by 
nine  colossal  figures  in  stone,  each  13  feet 
high  and  in  good  preservation.  Opposite  to 
them  are  similar  figures;  all  the  piers  of  this 
court  were  ornamented  with  painted  stucco 
figures  ( of  admirable  consistency  and  near¬ 
ly  as  hard  as  stone,)  some  consisting  of 
groups,  and  some  of  single  figures  only. 

Of  these  sculptured  piers  there  are  many 
still  remaining,  the  figures  of  which  are 
surrounded  by  richly  ornamented  borders; 
they  are  about-ten  feet  high,  and  six  feet 
wide. 

The  second  court  is  then  seen,  and  like  the 
principal  court,  is  encumbered  with  trees, 
large  stones,  and  rubbish.  This  court  yard 
is  eighty  feet  by  thirty,  and  is  ornamented 
with  stone  figures  and  hieroglyphics.  On 
the  western  side  of  the  edifice  several  of  the 
piers  are  in  good  preservation,  with  stucco 
ornaments.  A  tower  is  found  in  the  interi¬ 
or  of  this  structure  30  feet  square  and  about 
40  feet  high,  the  two  upper  stories  of  which 
have  fallen  down;  it  has  a  smaller  tower, 
however,  inside,  which  may  be  ascended  by 
a  stone  staircase.  Near  to  this  is  a  long 
narrow  chamber,  70  feet  in  length,  on  one 
side  of  which  is  a  richly  sculptured  tablet, 
surrounded  by  stuccoed  verdure.  Passing 
from  this  by  a  flight  of  descending  stairs, 


ANTIQUITIES. 


253 


the  travellers  came  to  three  corridors,  each 
180  feet  long.  They  extend  the  whole 
breadth  of  the  building,  and  are  very  gloomy, 
requiring  torch  lights  in  their  examination. 

These  corridors  are  not  ornamented,  but 
they  contain  several  stone  tables  or  beds 
about  six  or  seven  feet  in  length  which  were 
supposed  to  have  been  used  as  grateful  and 
cool  couches,  when  the  inhabitants  retired  in 
the  heat  of  the  day.  Th?  palace  also  con¬ 
tained  a  small  private  chappel  or  altar, 
which  had  probably  only  been  used  by  the 
inmates  of  the  Royal  Family.  The  other 
rooms  which  were  numerous,  generally  dis¬ 
played  the  remains  of  rich  ornaments  of 
Stucco,  painted,  the  paintings  in  some  in¬ 
stances  being  discovered  to  be  five  different 
subjects  painted  over  each  other. 

Besides  the  Palace  there  were  other  struc¬ 
tures,  which  are  called  “stone  houses, ”  and 
which  the  travellers  supposed  to  be  temples. 
The  first  was  situated  on  a  pyramidal  base 
of  110  feet  on  a  slope,  and  the  whole  were 
covered  with  forest  trees  of  a  large  size. — 
This  “stone  house”  was  described  with  five 
doors  and  six  piers,  and  as  measuring  76  feet 
in  front,  which  is  ornamented  with  hiero¬ 
glyphics  and  stucco  figures,  representing  a 
female  holding  a  child  in  her  arms.  This 
house  is  situated  300  or  400  feet  southwest  of 


254 


AMERICAN 


the  palace,  and  so  densely  surrounded  by 
forest  trees,  that  it  is  not  discernable  a  few 
feet  distant,  and  without  the  aid  of  a  guide 
the  ruins  would  not  be  discovered,  though 
lying  at  the  traveller’s  feet.  In  the  interi¬ 
or  are  found  massive  stone  tablets,  thirteen 
feet  long,  each  tablet  having  240  squares  of 
hieroglyphics.  Of  the  uses  of  this  building 
no  satisfactory  conclusion  can  be  arrived  at; 
while  the  travellers  supposed  it  to  be  a  tem¬ 
ple,  and  the  Indians  called  it  the  school,  some 
Spanish  priest  has  described  it  as  a  place  of 
justice,  and  the  tables  of  hieroglyphics  as 
the  tables  of  the  law;  and  not  the  least  in¬ 
teresting  feature,  in  connection  *  with  these 
tablets,  is,  that  the  same  hieroglyphics  are 
used  there,  as  were  used  at  other  very  distant 
places.  There  are  three  other  stone  houses, 
very  much  of  the  same  description,  but  in¬ 
stead  of  tablets  of  hieroglyphics,  they  con¬ 
tain  tablets  of  sculptured  figures.  In  one 
of  these  there  is  an  altar,  which  bears  a 
large  stone  tablet,  representing  two  singular 
personages  opposite  to  each  other,  making 
offerings  to  an  object,  represented  on  the- 
tablet  as  supported  by  two  figures  with  rows 
of  hieroglyphics  on  each  side.  The  two 
figures  standing  one  on  each  side  of  this 
tablet,  have  the  peculiar  facial  angle  before 
described,  with  noses  and  eyes  strongly 


ANTIQUITIES'. 


255 


marked,  representing  a  race  of  people  to¬ 
tally  different  from  any  now  seen  on  this  con¬ 
tinent.  The  head  dress  of  one  is  coarse  and 
complicated,  consisting  of  leaves  and  plants, 
interspersed  with  the  beaks  and  eyes  of  birds, 
and  also  a  tortoise.  A  leopard’s  skin  is 
thrown  over  the  shoulders,  and  the  figure  is 
represented  with  sandals  and  with  ruffles 
round  the  wrists  and  ankles.  The  other  fig¬ 
ure  has  a  head  dress  composed  of  a  plume 
of  feathers,  in  the  midst  of  which  a  bird  may 
be  distinguished,  and  beneath,  certain  hiero¬ 
glyphics  which,  unfortunately  cannot  at  pre¬ 
sent  be  read. 

It  remained  now  only  to  describe  the  Aque¬ 
duct.  This  structure  was  by  the  side  of  the 
great  palace:  it  was  200  feet  in  length,  as 
far  as  could  be  explored,  12  feet  high,  and 
6  feet  wide;  with  a  large  body  of  water 
passing  through  it  still.  There  were  sever¬ 
al  other  small  buildings,  which  do  not  cover 
a  large  extent  of  ground.  No  others  were 
heard  of  by  these  travellers  in  that  neigh¬ 
borhood,  but  so  dense  is  the  forest  that  it  is 
impossible  to  penetrate  many  yards  in  any 
direction,  for  these  ruins  are  literally  im- 
beded  in  a  forest  of  mahogany,  and  ceiba, 
and  India  rubber  tree,  with  a  great  variety 
of  other  descriptions,  no  human  inhabitant 
remaining  to  relieve  the  solitude.  Of  Uamal, 


250 


AMERICAN  ANTIQUITIES. 


which  IS  situated  in  Yucatan,  a  country,  hi 
breadth  about  two  hundred  miles  by  three 
hundred  in  length,  which  is  doubtless  cover ! 
ed  by  the  ruins  of  former  magnificence,  anc 
the ‘memorials  of  early  civilization,  he  coulc! 
say  but  a  few  words,  as  a  full  description 
would  occupy  more  time  than  he  could  ‘then 
command.  The  buildings  are  numerous — 
tney  are  in  a  good  state  oi  preservation,  but 
tney  are  of  a  character  distinguished  from 
those  at  Palenque  and  Copan,  not  having 
eitner  statues  or  has  reliefs.  The  fronts 
were,  in  some  instances,  S00  feet  in  length, 
and  they  were  richly  ornamented  with  sculp¬ 
tured  stone. 

.  These  travellers  visited  eight  ruined  cit- 
ics,.  situated  at  great  distances  apart,  to 
which  they  had  to  travel  by  roads  of  the 
worst  possible  description. 


ERRATTA. 

On  olst  page,  fourth  line  from  bottom,  for  nations 
read  nature.  Page  73,  for  Isaiah  19th  chnpt.  16th  v. 
read  Jeremiah  16th  chnpt.  16th  verse.  Page  129,— 
11th  line  from  bottom,  tor  require,  rend  acquire. — 
Page  146,  for  fruit  fulfilled,  read  fruitful  field.  Page 
154,  third  line  from  bottom,  for  gathere  d  read 
scattered.  Page  157,  for  Isfiah  6th  chnpt.  9th  verse, 
read  Isaiah  61st  chapt.  9th  verse.  Page  194,  5th  line 
from  the  bottom,  for  prevent,  read  pervert.  Pege 
21 1th,  seventh  line  from  the  bottom,  for  rev  aid,  read 
rearward. 


